Worlds Apart
by Maroon Smoke
Summary: A twist of fate sends our very own Barry Allen hurtling into Earth 38- where he wants to stay for the long haul. After making fast friends with Clark Kent, he's given one mission: protect Kara Danvers as she takes her mantle as Supergirl.
1. S1, E1- Pilot

**S1, E1: Pilot**

 _My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. To the outside world, I am an ordinary forensic scientist, but secretly with the help of my friends in S.T.A.R. Labs, I fight crime and find other meta-humans like me. I hunted down the man who killed my mother, but in doing so, I opened up our world to new threats, and I am the only one fast enough to stop them._

 _I am The Flash._

"Expecto Patronum!" Francisco Ramon, also known as Vibe yelled. He was mostly known for his mechanical genius and usually ill-timed comic relief. Being up there on a roof, creating his own lightning storm and being in the middle of it was something which he considered "above his pay grade".

Arcs of lightning came crashing down and slammed into his rod.

"Great Scott!" He continued, relieved that their plan to give Barry Allen, better known as the Flash his powers back was working.

Or, not. He witnessed the telltale sign of Zoom's blue lightning streak down the city.

"Guys," he warned. "Zoom is coming."

"No!" Wells yelled as he angrily mashed some buttons. "Come on, come on…"

Zoom appeared in front of Barry. In his deep, inhuman voice, he chuckled, "Oh, come on Barry. You thought this would work?"

"Releasing chemicals!" Wells yelled, catching Zoom off guard.

"Wait!" Zoom yelled, but it was too late.

The chemicals mixed together with the lightning and formed a beam of energy which absolutely speared through Zoom, causing him to disintegrate.

"Ramon, cut off the lightning!" Wells instructed frantically as he saw the controls become inundated with electricity.

Barry began to yell in pain as the lightning began flooding through his body. He gasped and strained against his bearings- but they were clamped down on him _hard_.

Up on the roof, Cisco began to curse as the storm wouldn't subside, and neither would the lightning. "I...can't!"

"No!" Iris West, Barry's pseudo sister/ love interest yelled as she watched the man she had feelings for writhe in pain.

Barry began straining and groaning even harder under the lightning, his eyes slumping back into his head.

"How is he alive?" Iris questioned, amazed. "That lightning destroyed Zoom but Barry is just soaking it up!"

"I don't know." Wells said simply. "Hang in there, Barry!"

However, the universe seemed to have different plans for the Flash.

There was a loud tearing noise, and Barry Allen was suddenly gone.

"No!" Joe West cried as he ran towards the contraption that had held Barry up.

"My son…" Henry Allen choked out between sobs. Now he was truly, finally, alone.

Iris turned to Wells, and grabbed his shirt. "You said this would work….you said he'd have his powers back!"

"Hands off me, West." Wells replied, pushing her hands off of him. "I tried my best. We all did. Barry knew the risk he was taking when he was stepping up. He took Zoom down with him, too."

—

Streams of color flew by Barry at blinding speeds. For what felt like hours on hours, days on days, he was left suspended in the air, all alone to think about his wreck of a life.

He cursed his speed for a few moments. He knew he was being irrational, but Barry felt like ever since he'd become fast his life had taken a turn for the worse.

After Barry woke up from the coma that gave him his speed, he found out Iris fell in love with someone else and then that someone else was killed because of him.

He witnessed his mother die again and lost people due to the farce that some evil megalomaniac from the future had orchestrated.

A year passed, and Barry thought he'd luck out, but nope. It seemed as though he would fare better in the start, what with the city recognizing him as a hero, Cisco working for the CCPD and Caitlin working at a private company, but no.

The singularity he caused opened up a literal other world of problems. As if he didn't have enough already.

Caitlin was kidnapped, Central City was under a reign of terror by Zoom, a speedster who was drawn to their earth for Barry's speed- which he obtained, causing them to take the gamble that ended up sending Barry to wherever he was now.

At least Zoom was dead now, and Barry was, well, wherever he was.

One thing was for certain, though. He could never return.

A tear rolled down Barry's cheek as he swallowed this bitter truth. As long as he remained, Central City would come under attack over and over again.

With Cisco helming the metahuman department at the CCPD, they could catch metas without Barry, and without Barry, no more crazy speedsters would come looking for a fight. It was a true saying- heroes _did_ make their own villains.

No, Barry agreed, it was better this way.

"Take me away," He whispered to the colors. "Just- please. Take me to a place where I can do good."

 _Wham!_

Barry groaned as he felt the feeling of hot pavement under his face. With another groan, he sat up.

The land around him seemed to be that of a city. There were cars all driving around along with dozens of small cafes and restaurants.

He looked around for a board or something, but caught the side of a passing bus: _Metropolis._

 _Metropolis?_ He wondered bewilderedly. Metropolis had been destroyed years ago after an earthquake.

Yet, here it was. Clear as day.

Barry deduced that he was possibly on another Earth. Unless this was all some elaborate prank, which the more he looked around, he realized it was not. This was Metropolis.

Looking down, he noticed that he wasn't in his regular Flash costume.

He wasn't even wearing clothes.

Barry yelped slightly, before speeding into the nearest clothes store and walking out in a casual hoodie and jeans.

What he didn't notice was the color of his lightning.

It was pure white.

Unluckily for him, a man named Clark Kent had just happened to be in that very store. And he was confused and a little mad. In his experience, other beings with superpowers had been nothing but enemies to him.

Barry suddenly heard cries of "Superman!" as felt himself get picked up by the hood and blasted into the sky.

The ground underneath him blurred as if he was running, and after a few moments, he was dropped to his feet.

Barry came face to face with a man dressed in a blue suit with a red cape and a red S looking symbol on his chest. He looked Midwestern, with his tanned skin and dark eyes,

"Who are you?" The man demanded. "Which planet are you from?"

"Uh, I'm The Flash." Barry said awkwardly. The man cocked his head to the side, and Barry sighed, before telling the man everything. It may not have been his smartest move, but Barry assumed that this guy was the superhero on this Earth, so he'd help him in the hopes that the man would in turn, help him. Sort of 'scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' kind of thing.

Plus, he'd just picked him up and flew him a few hundred miles like it was nothing, so maybe Barry didn't want to try this mystery man.

"That's...horrible. I'm so sorry. I'm Clark by the way. Clark Kent. People around here call me Superman." Clark explained, briefly mentioning his past and how he was from a different planet that had been destroyed when he was a baby.

Barry took it all in stride. If he could gain the power of super speed from a particle accelerator explosion and a bolt of lightning, Clark could easily be from another planet.

Explaining the multiverse theory was a little harder, but Clark was a bright enough individual. After that, they both began comparing notes, comparing the struggles of being heroes, and even a little bit more of their pasts. Barry guessed that they'd been doing nothing but talking for hours, but it was sort of...refreshing.

"So, basically, you've left everyone you know and love behind to come to a different Earth," Clark summarized. "Of course, your arrival wasn't by choice, but, do you want to stay?"

"My speed only causes problems, Clark." Barry sighed. "I don't want to use it unless I have to. I'm thinking about staying here for the long run."

Clark gazed at Barry for a moment. "Say, Barry, what if I told you that I could get you a job. It'd be stable, well paying, and you could live a city away from me, in National City."

"That would be amazing." Barry said gratefully. "Clark, if there's anything I could ever do to repay"-

"Good, because you will." Clark gave him a smile. "My cousin, Kara, is also from Krypton."

"So she's, what, Superwoman?" Barry asked.

"No, not yet. She's been repressing her powers for years." Clark admitted with a frown. "That's not the point here, however. Whether she accepts it or not, she will follow in my footsteps sometime."

Barry nodded in agreement. "I agree. Based on what you've told me, she seems too stubborn to repress her powers for that long."

Clark's lip curled slightly, as if he was thinking the same about Barry. "Originally, I was going to send my bud Jimmy Olsen down for this reason, but I think you're better suited."

"Suited for what?" Barry asked before his eyes widened. "You want me to protect her."

Clark nodded. He shifted for a moment. "Barry, I don't show it often, but I care for my cousin. A lot. She's all I have left from Krypton, and if I were to lose her"-

"Clark, Clark. Don't worry." Barry assured with a grin. "I accept."

Clark breathed out a sigh of relief. He grinned at Barry. "Thanks, Bar, for everything. I haven't vented to someone like that in a while. And I know you don't want to use your powers, but if you have to, please…"

Barry nodded. "Don't worry. I've got your back."

Clark nodded, a grin forming on his face. "Thanks Barry. You're a good man."

"Always, Clark." Barry said with an identical grin on his face. "So, this job…."

Clark winced for a moment before pulling out a cell phone and dialing a number. There was a squeal on the other end of the phone that was so loud even Barry winced.

"Cat, baby," Clark began tentatively.

—

"This is Catco Worldwide Media." Barry was told by Clark as he led him through an exorbitantly fancy elevator. "An online and print empire built by my cousin's boss, Cat Grant. Cat has sort of an infatuation with me, so it was beyond easy to get you this job."

"Clark!" Barry heard someone screech as a 40 year old or so woman came running- or waddling, rather (high heels) - over to Clark. "Oh my god you look so handsome!"

Clark chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks, Cat. You're looking lovely as well."

"You just have that _amazing_ Midwestern Cham. Are you still seeing that _skank_ Lois?" Cat asked with a roll of her eyes and a scoff. "You know, this quarter, I beat her out for richest woman in media. I am the queen of media, Clark. Why not upgrade?"

Clark laughed nervously and slyly elbowed Barry, who jumped for a moment before stepping forward. "Hello, Ms. Grant, I'm Barry Allen, Clark's close friend."

She looked him up and down. "Mm. I can tell. You run with an excellent crowd, Mr. Allen. Shall I show you and Clark"- she said this with a sharp intake of breath and a flutter of her eyelashes-" to your office?"

"My office?" Barry asked in slight confusion before Clark shot him a grin.

"Of course, your office." Clark continued with a wide smile. "Where else would my friend go?"

"Exactly." Cat repeated, beginning to walk away. "Now, come."

She led him through the floor, and towards the back, where there was a small room with a view of the city. "Here you are, Reporter Allen."

Barry's eyebrows shot up. "Reporter?"

Clark laughed as he slapped his shoulder. "I just figured with your talents it'd be best."

His talents? Barry wondered. Oh, his speed. He realized that if he were ever running late on an article or couldn't get a picture, his speed would allow him to do his work in a moment.

Which, in turn, would allow him to focus on protecting Kara. Clark really had thought of everything.

"I think you may be right, Clark." Barry added with a grin.

Cat watched this whole interaction with a raised eyebrow. "Wow, you two really are good friends."

"That we are," Clark said. "Well, I better get back to work at the Daily Planet, please take care of my friend for me, Cat."

Clark left the room in a hurry. Barry noticed Kara get out of the elevator just after Clark left.

He must've flown, Barry realized. Why would he avoid Kara?

Cat grabbed his shoulder lightly. "Come. Today, I'll just show you around the place and all that. Tomorrow you'll actually begin working. Sound good?"

"Sounds wonderful, Ms. Grant. I could even start today if you'd like," Barry knew he was laying it on too thick, but he didn't really care. His new boss seemed to like that.

Cat smiled at him. "My, my. So eager. Maybe today I will just have you work with my assistant to learn the ins and outs of the company."

As Cat walked him towards her assistant, he almost laughed at the level of coincidence at play. On her assistant's desk, Barry clearly saw the name _Kara Danvers._

Right now, she was currently in an argument with some other man right next to her desk.

"You know that you can't quantify emotions based on an algorithm?" The man seemed to be trying to explain to her. She didn't seem to be taking it very well, as she scoffed.

"Winn, you're IT, isn't your whole life based on algorithms?" She shot back, her back still turned to Barry.

"Yes, so if there was an algorithm for love I think that I would know about it." The man Barry identified as Winn scoffed. "It's just, like, you're gonna know when it hits you, Kara. It'll sweep you off your feet and be all wa-pow."

Cat rolled her eyes at Barry and cleared her throat. "Kerrah, I have a special assignment for you."

Kara turned around and looked at Cat, before turning and looking at Barry.

Barry's jaw opened a bit. Kara was, well perfect. She had bright blonde hair, and the bluest eyes Barry had ever seen. Aside from a small scar on her eyebrow, her face was clear and devoid of any pimples or discolorations.

Kara was staring back at him with a similar expression.

Kara thought Barry was one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen. He looked like someone straight out of one of the _Cosmopolitan_ magazines her sister occasionally read.

"Wa-pow." She whispered to herself.

Cat cleared her throat. "If you two are done staring at each other, I'll explain what you're supposed to do, Kerrah."

Barry blinked before laughing awkwardly. "Oh, yeah, sorry I didn't mean to"-

"No, no, it's fine." Kara cut him off with nervous laughter. "I-I didn't mean to either..."

Cat rolled her eyes at the byplay. "Follow me to my office."

"I, uh, I'm Kara. Kara Danvers." Kara offered with a smile, nervously wringing her hands.

"Barry Allen." Barry said as he returned her smile and followed her to Cat's office, where Cat was already sitting down behind her desk.

"Also, Kerrah, do something about the elevator. It's like a human petri-dish." Cat scoffed as she drank out of a latte that Kara placed.

"Human Petri dish?" Barry asked curiously.

"Yes," Cat said distastefully as she threw the latte in the trash after a sip. "The only reason I bought this building was because it had a private elevator. That way, I don't have to get soaked in cheap cologne every morning, getting to my office."

"Right, that makes sense." Barry said seriously, even though he was holding his laughter in.

Cat smiled at him warmly. "Look at you! Someone that finally understands. No wonder Clark Kent himself recommended you."

"C-Clark Kent?" Kara asked, now looking at Barry with a slightly suspicious look.

"Yes," Cat continued for him. "He's very close friends with Clark. I just had to hire him with that sort of recommendation."

"Oh, Ms. Grant." Barry said nervously. "You're going to make me blush."

Or get me hit with heat vision, He added mentally.

Cat smiled at him again. "Anyways, find out who used it, have them reprimanded, or bathed, I don't care which."

"Alright." Kara replied as she wrote something down in her notepad.

"Oh, I have a meeting with the board today at lunch, so cancel sushi with my mother. And since you're doing that, cancel my therapist. I won't be needing it if I'm not having lunch with my mother." Cat continued as she opened her laptop and began to type.

"Right. Sounds good." Kara said as she continued writing.

Cat looked up. "And, just show our new worker Mr. Allen around the city and such. You're coming in from...where?"

"Metropolis." Barry smoothly lied. "That's where I met Clark."

Cat nodded. "Ah, okay. So you're used to the city life. Now, _ta ta_ , Mr. Allen, Kerrah. I have work to do."

Kara lead Barry out of the office as _Poker Face_ started to play loudly.

"So, you know Clark Kent." Kara started awkwardly. "How, uh, how close are you?"

"We tell each other everything." Barry said.

"Everything?" Kara asked.

Barry gave a slight nod. "I know."

Kara sighed in relief. "Okay, can I just say, it's so nice to have another person that knows!"

Barry chuckled. "I'm glad you think so."

"Who's this?" The man Barry identified as Winn asked as they returned to Kara's desk.

"Barry Allen. He's our newest reporter." Kara introduced, holding Barry's arm.

If Barry was surprised by the contact, he didn't show any indication.

Winn, however, did. He raised an eyebrow at the contact and held his hand out. "I'm Winn. I'm sort of the I.T. guy around here."

"Barry," Barry said as he shook the offered hand. "I guess you and I will be working together a lot."

"Yes." Winn said before turning back to his screen. "I, uh, I have a lot of work to do. I'll talk to you guys later. Good luck on your date tonight, Kara."

Kara shrugged. "I don't really think I'm going to go, 82% or not. Alex is going to Geneva anyway. Do you maybe want to come by tonight, Barry? I could introduce you to my sister."

Barry thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, sure, I'd love to. I just need to move some stuff in so I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Great," Kara said as a smile formed on her face.

Barry pretended he couldn't feel Winn's glare boring into the side of his skull.

Barry was a little surprised with himself. He has no idea how long it had really been since he left his Earth, but he wasn't plagued by thoughts of Iris.

In fact, he didn't even think about her anymore. He was more concerned about his new life here.

"Barry," Kara waved her hand in front of his face. She smiled when he looked at her. "Jeez, you were spacing out."

"Sorry," Barry apologized.

"No problem," Kara laughed. Barry noted how beautiful her laugh sounded. "So like I asked, five times, what do you like for food?"

"Uh, I'm fine with anything." She looked at him with a suspicious expression again. "Really, I am. Don't worry about that."

"Great, here's the address." Kara said as she handed Barry a piece of paper. "Now, let's give you a tour of the office…"

Barry arrived in front of Kara's door and went to knock before he realized he didn't bring anything.

Well, maybe this one time, Barry reasoned as he disappeared in a burst of white lightning and reappeared in a moment with a bouquet of flowers and some chocolate.

Barry considered how cheesy it was, but tried to put those thoughts out of his head as he knocked on the door.

Also, Barry had noticed his newfound increase in speed, but decided to not pay it attention. It wasn't like he'd be using his speed too often.

"Oh, Barry, you're here before Alex!" Kara said as she opened the door.

"Oh, I can always come back"-

"No, no." Kara said with a smile. "Come on in. Welcome to my home, sweet, home."

"Right. These are for you." Barry said as he gave her the flowers and chocolate. "Just a little thank you for inviting me over."

"Wow," Kara said, her eyes widening. "You, uh, you got this for me?"

"Well, yeah," Barry said as he just noticed how close they were. He suddenly became very nervous. "You were just so nice to me today and invited me over and everything and I know you didn't have to but you did…I feel like I'm rambling. Am I rambling?"

Barry looked at Kara, who had a grin so wide it was in danger of splitting her face. "No...No. Thank you Barry, I love it."

Barry sighed in relief. Before he could say anything, another woman walked in.

"I have a conference in Geneva and I need to be on a plane in 2 hours." She said, fixing her jacket.

She paused for a moment, looking at Barry. "Who are you?"

"This is Barry!" Kara said brightly as she grabbed his arm again. "He's Clark's friend, and he just started working at Catco with me. I figured since he was new in the city, I could invite him over and stuff. And Barry, this is Alex, my older sister."

Barry waved. "Nice to meet you."

Alex looked extremely surprised to see Barry there. "Uh, Kara, can I talk to you for a moment? Just a second."

"Uh, okay," Kara said. "Just make yourself at home, Barry. I'll be right back."

"Sounds good," Barry grinned as he walked over to the couch, where the TV was turned on to the news.

"Kara," Alex urged as she pulled her closer. "You told me you have a blind date that you needed to be ready for. Not some dinner with your boyfriend."

"He-I- we're not dating!" Kara stammered furiously. "I just forgot to tell you and then I got wound up in the excitement of it all and- I'm sorry."

Alex smiled at her sister softly. "Breathe, Kara. I'm going to get on my plane. Text me every detail from your date and I will call you when I'm back from Geneva."

"It's not a date," She whispered again. "And I will. Love you."

"Love you too." Alex smiled and left.

"Well, she decided to up and leave." Kara laughed nervously. "So, pizza?"

"Count me in. I eat a lot, and I eat it fast, so I hope you have a lot." Barry smirked as he stood up.

"Me too." Kara led him to her table where there were four boxes.

"Wow," Barry said as he opened one up. "Try to keep up."

Five minutes later, all of the pizza boxes were empty and both Kara and Barry were relaxing on the couch.

"How do you eat all of that and still look great?" Kara asked curiously.

"I could ask you the same thing," Barry shot back. "Well, I know the answer, so…"

Kara laughed. "Yeah, you do. You and Clark must be very close for him to have told you about that."

"That's what I'm told." Barry grinned. "And me, well I'm just a runner."

"You run marathons?" Kara asked.

"All kinds of them." Barry replied evasively.

"Wow that's- that's amazing. I have super powers and I'd still never put myself through that." Kara said, amazed.

Barry laughed slightly. "It's my way of putting my mark on the world, I guess."

Kara nodded, pulling her legs up on the couch and sitting up. "I went to work for Cat Grant because I thought working in a media company run by a powerful woman who actually shapes the way people think would be the way that I could make _my mark_. All I do is fetch coffee and cancel appointments."

"Well, things aren't all bad"- Barry began, but was cut off by Kara's head suddenly snapping up.

"Wait a second!" She yelled as she turned the volume on the TV up.

"If you're just joining us, shortly after take-off, National City Airlines, Flight 237 bound for Geneva, is experiencing some loss of altitude." The man said. "The pilot seems to be circling the city after apparent engine failure."

"Oh my god," Kara gasped as she stood up. "That's the plane Alex is on."

Barry stood up too. "Kara, do you remember how to fly?"

"I-I don't know. It's been years since I even tried." She stammered, beginning to pace. "Oh my god, Barry. Alex is going to"-

Barry grabbed her shoulders. "Kara, calm down. You can do this. You have the same powers he does. You can lift a bus, stop a bullet. And you can definitely save your sister."

"Y-you're right. I'll be right back, okay?" She said before she jumped out of the window.

Barry looked out to make sure she was flying when she shot by him with a _shwoom_ noise.

"Definitely flying." He muttered to himself, before he zoomed out of the door and followed her to make sure she didn't over exert herself.

Barry gaped as he reached the plane and saw Kara underneath, holding it with so much force the metal around her hands was twisting.

This chick was _strong._

But, Barry noticed, she was heading for a bridge. If that bridge took any damage at all, she'd be blamed for it, and based on what he knew of Kara, it'd ruin her night.

So, it was his mission to somehow make sure the plane went smoothly through the arch of the bridge.

Desperately wracking his brain for a solution, Barry realized he was going to have to try something he'd never tried before: he was going to phase the plane through the bridge.

Not wasting anytime, Barry shot forward and ran up the side of the closest building, and stopped as he reached the rooftop.

Taking a running start, he leapt off of the building.

"Gah!" Barry cried out as he crashed onto bottom wheel, barely hanging on.

Luckily for him, Kara was more towards the front, so she didn't even notice.

Ok, come on, Barry. He thought to himself as he began to vibrate.

The bridge drew closer and closer, and the plane began to vibrate in different parts, but never at once.

"Come on, come on," He whispered to himself as he vibrated even harder.

The plane finally began to vibrate completely, but Barry felt like his head was going to explode if he kept this up any longer.

He somehow managed to let the plane through the bridge, and then he stopped vibrating and let go of the tire.

He dropped to the ground and ran back to Kara's apartment as fast as he could.

He ran into the bathroom and stood in front of the sink, his vision swimming.

His phone rang.

Clark. It read.

He picked it up. "Hello?"

"I saw what you did on the news. I doubt anyone else will notice, but I did. Thanks, Barry." Clark said gratefully.

"No problem. I told you I had your back."

"You sure did." Clark replied. "I'll catch you later, but I just wanted to say thanks. If you ever need anything, I'm here."

"Thanks Clark," Barry said as he shut his phone off.

"Barry?" He heard Kara call as she touched down in her apartment.

He opened the door to the bathroom and smiled at her when he saw she was dripping wet. "Kara! How'd it go?"

She ran to him excitedly. "It was incredible!"

Kara wrapped her arms around Barry hard while picking him up, and Barry felt his bones crack. She set him down with an apologetic grin. "Sorry."

"Don't worry I've been squeezed quite a bit in my day." Barry waved it off. "What a night this turned out to be for you, huh?"

"Yeah!" Kara said excitedly. "I had a ton of fun! It's been so long, I almost forgot how to fly. Well, not so much how, but more, more how it feels, like scared, but good scared. Like, like that moment right before you kiss someone for the first time. Wow, to think that tonight I originally had a date- not like a serious date, I'm not seeing anyone, but like a blind date. Am I rambling? I ramble when I get excited…"

Barry laughed at her worried expression. "Nah, you're fine. And I remember you and Winn arguing about that when I first walked over. You were 82% compatible."

"Yeah," Kara said with a huff. "I think I'm going to aim for 100% compatibility."

"I'm glad you are," Barry said as he smiled at her.

They both looked into each other's eyes for a moment too long.

"So uh,"-

"I don't"-

They both tried to speak at the same time, causing each other to laugh a bit.

"You go first. I didn't really have anything to say." Barry said.

"I was just going to say that n-now it's like I'm not sure what comes next. Or maybe I am sure and I'm just afraid of what it means." She said nervously. "Barry, I'm not sure if I can follow in my cousin's footsteps."

"I'll be here to help, anytime you need me." Barry said with a grin.

"What were you thinking?" Alex yelled as she opened the door to Kara's apartment. Seeing her sister soaked she scoffed. "You exposed yourself. You're out there now, Kara. Everyone will know about you and you can't take that back."

"I've always felt the need to help people, and tonight I finally got that chance." Kara said, stepping forward and glaring at Alex slightly. "I-I didn't travel 2,000 light-years just to be an assistant."

"What if people figure out who you are? What you are? It's just It's not safe for you to do anything like that. Ever." Alex said forcibly, gritting her teeth. "You're still young. Foolish. How would Eliza feel if you died? Or if I died cause of something stupid you did?"

"Oh," Kara said, her lip trembling. She wiped at her eyes for a moment. "I'm kind of tired, I-I just carried a plane on my back. You should go."

"I will. Don't say I didn't warn you." Alex said before leaving.

Barry looked at Kara, before stepping forward and hugging her tightly.

"It's okay," he whispered as she sobbed into his shoulder. "She'll come around."

Kara nodded into his chest and pulled away to look at him with a teary smile. "I'm sorry. I invited you over for a dinner and now I'm just mess and you had to see that and now you probably think I'm crazy and stuff"-

"Kara," Barry cut her off. He gave her a reassuring smile. "This has been the best night I've had in a long time." He said truthfully.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," she said, lightly hitting his chest.

Which, after you took into account her strength, felt like a small rock hit Barry's chest, but he played it off.

"I'm not, I promise." Barry muttered. "My life hasn't been ideal lately. Thank you- for everything."

Kara didn't reply but just pulled Barry a little closer.

Barry checked the clock on the wall. "As much as I love being with you, it's nearly 2 in the morning and we have work tomorrow."

Kara nodded as she laughed. "I- thank you Barry. I really do appreciate it."

"Anything for you, Kara." Barry replied softly as he began to leave her apartment. "See you first thing tomorrow morning!"

—-

As Kara entered work the next day, all anyone seemed to be talking about was her. Well, not that they knew that was her, but the point still remained.

"Good morning, National City. Our top story, the only story anyone's talking about." A man on the TV near Kara's desk said as she set her stuff down. "Who is the mystery flying woman who saved the plane?"

Cat scoffed as Kara entered her office. "The most incredible event in the history of National City and yet we have no exclusive of any kind."

"I could get started on one, if you'd like," Kara heard as Barry walked up next to her, instantly putting a smile on her face.

"That would be wonderful, Mr. Allen." Cat said, standing up. "We will feature her online and in the paper, but we need images, we need video, we need an interview, and exclusive content. Go, find this mystery girl!"

Barry nodded. "I will have my rough draft ready by tomorrow is that alright?"

Cat looked surprised for a moment. "That fast, Mr. Allen? By all means, if you have it done by then, send it in. Oh, also, go get me a lettuce wrap, Kerrah."

"On it, Ms. Grant." Kara nodded as she walked out with Barry.

"Hey, you." Winn said as Kara walked back to her desk. "How was the date last night?"

"Winn, I didn't go, remember?" Kara reminded. "But, something interesting did happen. Follow me to the roof?"

"Uh, sure, but- okay, okay. I'm coming." Winn said as Kara already began to take off towards the elevator.

Barry watched them go with a small smile. He wasn't going to tell Kara who to tell and who not to tell, as that was part of being a hero she'd figure it by herself.

Plus, having a tech savvy guy was always a boon to any team, Barry reasoned as a small pang of hurt went through him.

How was Cisco doing?

For that matter, how was everyone doing? Would Captain Singh accept whatever reason Joe gave for Barry's disappearance? Would Henry be okay with him gone?

As Barry began to wallow in his thoughts, Kara walked up to him and surprised him by bumping her hip with his. "Winn says we should get me a costume. Wanna come by and help?"

"I don't know how much help I'd be," Barry began, but he caught sight of Kara pouting at him slightly. "But I guess I'll come by."

"Yay! She yelled as she dragged him to her apartment.

A few minutes later, Winn gave her some clothes. "Okay, try them on."

Barry got ready to hold in his laughter. The first suit was never the best. He remembered his own one fondly, back on the airfield with the imposter Wells.

"So, how is it, huh? How does it fit?" Winn asked as he ate a slice of pizza.

"I'm not flying around saving people in this thing." Kara said as she walked back.

Barry's jaw dropped. It was basically just a bathing suit with longer sleeves and a slightly longer bottom.

It really showcased, well, everything.

Kara's face grew a little crimson as she caught Barry's stunned gaze.

"Barry, you're staring." Winn reprimanded.

"Sorry," Barry said, someone tearing his eyes away. "Nice abs, Danvers."

Kara grinned. "Watch yourself, Allen. I might just end up going super on you."

"Be my guest." Barry replied, smirking.

"Ok, sorry to interrupt this awkward flirty love thing," Winn interrupted. "But what do you think?"

"Yeah, no." Kara said. "I-I wouldn't even wear it to the beach."

"Okay, take 2." Winn said, giving her more clothes.

This time, she came out wearing a skirt and a blue long sleeve shirt. "Oh, oops." She said as she took of her glasses.

"Kara, you look really pretty without your glasses." Winn said.

Kara smiled. "Winn."

"Right- oh! So, uh to be a superhero you need a crime." Winn said as he walked over to his laptop. "I hacked into the NCPD. There's a car chase on the 112 freeway."

"I can do a car chase." Kara said confidently as she flew off.

"Look, man," Winn said after he was sure she was gone. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What do I think I'm doing?" Barry replied, confused.

"Yeah- I like Kara. Why can't you just let me"-

"Continuing failing?" Barry filled in. "I'm not here to seduce Kara. I'm here to be her friend and be there for her. Isn't that what you should be here for?"

"It _is_ what I'm here for," Winn stressed. "I just- I want to be more than friends."

"Well, she doesn't." Barry said truthfully. "I can tell, and I got here yesterday. I need you to do me a favor."

Winn looked at him with a confused expression. "You need me to do you a favor?"

Barry nodded, sitting down across from Winn. "Without telling Kara, can you make another suit?"

"What kind of suit?" Winn asked, extremely suspicious.

"One with an aerodynamic design and a reinforced tri-polymer. That'll make it heat and abrasive resistant, so it should withstand moving at high-velocity speed. Like beyond Mach 7, easily." Barry said seriously. "Trust me on this. Completely black with a mask."

Winn gaped. "Barry, how do you even know about all of that? I thought you were a reporter."

"I am." Barry stated carefully. "Just, please, get me that? Now be quiet, she's coming back."

Kara flew back into the apartment, her skirt a little bit torn up. "This is fun."

Over the course of the next few days, Kara would go on to help solve a myriad of problems around National City.

As she flew in from her latest task, she looked at Winn. "This suit is going to bust."

"Ok, final suit. Also, a cape aids with aerodynamics, so..." Winn said with a smile as he handed her a bundle. "All right, the cape is made from a structured polymer composite."

"It'll be practically indestructible." Barry translated as he clipped a little chip on her shoulder. "That way we can talk and track you and your vitals. Just in case you need help."

"Thanks," Kara said gratefully. "I like this one."

"I do too," Winn interjected. "This one has the S for Super, just like your cousin."

"It's not an S." Barry replied, drinking from a cup of coffee. "It's her family coat of arms. The House of El, right?"

"Right." Kara said, smiling pleasantly. She did a twirl. "How do I look?"

"Perfect," Barry grinned.

"Ok, good," Kara said as Winn's radio popped up.

"Four-alarm fire at Gates and Igle." Came a dispatcher's voice.

"Ok, I'm off!" Kara said.

Winn and Barry stayed by, monitoring her location, when she suddenly groaned out in pain. "Guys… I don't feel so good…"

"Barry, look at her vitals!" Winn yelled, in alarm. "They're dropping."

"Winn, the suit, now." Barry said through gritted teeth.

Winn ran for a moment and came back with a matte black suit and a mask.

Barry zoomed into it, throwing his normal clothes on the couch. He carefully placed the mask over his face, leaving only his eyes available to see.

Winn gaped at him. "You- you just- you were here and then"-

"I know." Barry said, lightning running through his eyes. "I'm going to help Kara."

Barry couldn't remember the last time he ran this fast. Buildings began to blur together, and the world stood perfectly still as he zipped down National City.

He reached where Kara was, lying on the ground, in less than a minute.

Barry began vibrating his body and vocal cords as he saw some heavily armored people drop down from a helicopter.

Just like the Reverse Flash, Barry thought to himself sickeningly.

When an agent stepped forward, Barry did a double take. This agent was none other than Alex Danvers, Kara's sister.

Barry stooped low and picked Kara up. He glared at Alex, and she took a step back. "Who are you?"

"I am the Flash," Barry growled out, sounding uncannily like Zoom. "This girl is under my protection."

Alex raised a gun and fired.

Barry flashed forward and grabbed it out of the air, then rushed forward and ripped the magazines out of every agent's gun before throwing them behind him, all while holding onto Kara tightly.

"You will find that I am not someone you want to try." Barry continued. "What do you want with her?"

Alex stepped forward, raising her hands. "Flash, I'm Agent Alex Danvers. I work for the DEO. The DEO monitors and protects Earth from extraterrestrial presence and/or invasion, and that woman in your hands is an alien."

"She hasn't harmed anyone," Barry said angrily. "What warrants shooting her?"

Alex pursed her lips. "Look, my director simply wants to meet her. I-I promise nothing will happen to her."

"Your retrieval says differently, Danvers." Barry pointed out. "If you want her that bad, you will allow me to come and I will hold her."

Alex sighed as she made a circling motion with her right hand and talked into a walkie-talkie. "All clear. Heading back now."

She climbed back up to the helicopter and it flew away.

Barry ran after the helicopter with Kara firmly in his arms.

As he entered the DEO, he noted that there were dozens of guards standing ready.

Kara stirred in his arms. "I feel...so weak…"

She blinked at his vibrating face. "Who are you? Why can't I move?"

"You can't move, Ms. Danvers, due to the fact that this room is emanating a low level of Kryptonite," A stocky black man said as he entered the room, decked out head to toe in black DEO gear. Barry noticed a pistol hanging loosely from his waist. "Radioactive mineral from your home planet. It weakens you. And, The Flash, you said? I don't believe we've had the pleasure. Director Henshaw. I am in charge of the DEO."

Barry inclined his head. "Director. I assume you have a reason for attempting to detain the woman in my arms?"

Hank exhaled slowly as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Let's get something straight, just for my benefit. This woman in your arms is what to you?"

"Yeah, what am I to you?" Kara asked, confused. She tried to move but was still too weak.

"She's under my protection," Barry said simply. "If anything were to happen to her under your jurisdiction, Henshaw, I won't hesitate to cripple your forces."

Hank's hand inched towards his pistol. "Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise." Barry clarified. He nodded towards Alex, "Ask Agent Danvers."

Kara gasped out as Alex stepped forward. "You-you liar!"

Alex frowned. "No, I-I just couldn't tell you. You have no idea how much it hurt to have to lie to you day in and day out."

"Right, instead, you just told me to deny who I really am." Kara shot back sarcastically.

"Flash," Hank interjected. "I believe it's time for us and Ms. Danvers to have a talk. You should leave."

Barry scoffed. "As if. Last time, you shot her with Kryptonite enhanced darts. I have no idea how much you have here, but it isn't very comforting."

Hank sighed, he went to say something, but Kara spoke first. "I-uh, Flash, it's okay. I can handle myself."

Barry looked down at her gleaming blue eyes and he resignedly nodded before setting her on her feet.

He glared at Hank, and zoomed right in front of him. "You do not want to make an enemy out of me, Henshaw."

Hank nodded slowly. "Understood. Now get out."

Barry ran back to Kara for a moment, and then ran out of the DEO.

"Barry!" Winn cried out as Barry returned back to Kara's apartment and collapsed.

Barry gasped out in pain as he suddenly felt like his chest was constricting. "W-what's happening to me?"

"You overexerted yourself. Vibrating like that for that long was causing your heart to go haywire." Winn explained, pulling up Barry's vitals. "This looks like it's the second night in a row you've pushed yourself past your limit. Your body doesn't like it."

"Ack," Barry breathed in pain as he changed out of his clothes. "Some department of the government called the DEO tried to kidnap Kara. I made sure to stay until she was safe."

"Thank you," Winn said, taking Barry's suit and folding it up. "You need to rest, man. Like, now."

Barry shook his head, his eyebrows scrunched together. "Winn, do you know how suspicious it'd look if there just happened to mysterious man who knew her name and helped and I just happened to be in pain after?"

"Suit yourself," Winn conceded as he got up. "She's coming back."

Kara dropped into her apartment angrily. "I-ugh!"

"What's going on?" Barry asked, hiding his wince in pain as he stood up to greet her. "We were worried sick."

Kara's expression softened as she saw Barry. "Oh, Barry, it- I've had a rough night. I got shot with some darts or something, and then I woke up in the arms of this guy who was like phasing in and out of existence, like, I couldn't even tell what color his eyes were"-

"Not that important right now," Winn interjected. "What happened after that?"

"I was so weak, and I remember him having superpowers- like this guy could run. Before I could even register what happened we were already at the DEO, a branch used to monitor aliens that my sister is a part of!" Kara yelled angrily, heaving.

"Kara, calm down," Barry said, trying to move closer to her.

"No! I can't calm down! My sister lied to me for years! And- and now they don't even want me out there!" Kara continued on her tirade, pulling her hair. "Worse, I don't even know who this Flash guy is and if he's even a good guy! God knows if he wanted to, he could take any of us down."

Winn and Barry made an awkward eye contact.

"Ugh!" Kara yelled for the last time. She just turned to Barry and hugged him.

That was bad timing.

Barry cried out in pain, and Kara immediately pulled back. "Barry, what's wrong?"

"I accidentally backed into the table," He choked out. "So my back hurts. You mind if I take off? I have to write this article and all."

"No, go ahead." Kara frowned, disappointed Barry was leaving so early. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes you will. You did great today, by the way." Barry gave her a warm smile as he opened the door. "Goodnight, Kara Danvers."

"Goodnight, Barry Allen." She whispered as the door closed.

—

"Supergirl?" Kara yelled the next morning as she walked into Cat's office, where Barry and Cat were speaking.

"Why, yes Kerrah, come on in." Cat said with an annoyed tone. "Mr. Allen and I weren't discussing anything important and private."

"I-I'm sorry but we can't just name her that!" Kara protested, a pout forming on her face.

" _We_ didn't." Cat reminded with a condescending smirk.

"Right," Kara backpedaled. "It's just, uh, I don't want to minimize the importance of this."

Cat sighed. "I'm sorry, darling, I just can't hear you over the loud color of your cheap pants."

Barry let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, before raising his hand. "If I may, Ms. Grant?"

"Yes, Mr. Allen?" Cat said, turning her attention on him.

"I have my first draft ready, with spaces indicating where the name of the hero should go, because I figured you would coin her with a name," Barry maneuvered, cutting Kara off before she could say anything else to get herself fired. "And I must say-you hit the nail on the head. If Twitter is any indicator, the name appears to be catching on."

Cat smiled smugly as she leaned back in her chair. "Why thank you, Mr. Allen. I admire your eagerness and capabilities. I will send this to the editors right away- did you get any pictures?"

"I didn't, originally," Barry said evasively. "Lucky for me, Kara has a teller friend that works at West National City Bank- the branch that was robbed. She got us this photo."

Barry handed Cat a photo of Kara in her Supergirl costume he'd taken as she was flying.

"Is this true Kerrah?" Cat asked, looking at Kara with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Right! Right, yes, I went there." Kara started. She stammered, "You know, it took me a while to park my car in the streets. The one-way streets are so confusing."

Barry cleared his throat. "Details aside, Kara convinced her source to allow us to use a photograph that she captured. I think it perfectly fits in with the article."

Cat made a _hmm_ noise as she looked at the picture. "Good work, Mr. Allen, I see why Clark recommended you. And Kerrah- get some better perfume. I feel like I'm talking to a meek little clown."

"Yes, Ms. Grant," Barry said, practically dragging Kara out. "Let's get some coffee from the break room."

Kara nodded at him, her eyes narrowing. "Look Barry, I appreciate what you did in there but"-

"I know you're capable," Barry cut her off. "Is it wrong of me to want to just try to get her to treat you better?"

Kara's eyes widened. "I guess not."

"Ok," Barry grinned as he began to make himself some coffee.

"Agh!" Kara yelled, grabbing onto her ears.

Brain racing, Barry guessed that she was probably under a siege at a different frequency. If he wanted to expose his powers, he could manipulate the frequency around them both to create a sort of force field.

But he couldn't expose himself to Kara- not now.

Instead, he just wrapped his arms around her ears and pulled her in a somewhat awkward hug. She buried her head in chest.

A few moments later, she pulled away, her eyes wide. "Barry, someone named Vartox wants to fight me at National City's power plant. He said if I didn't, he'll destroy the entire city!"

Barry frowned. "That sounds dangerous. Do you think he's one of those aliens that escaped from the prison?"

"He has to be," Kara sighed. "I have to go."

Barry grabbed her arm lightly. "Kara, wait. You can't seriously be considering taking this guy on."

Kara looked at Barry with a hurt expression. "You really think I can't take an alien?"

"No, but what if there are more? What if he has Kryptonite, or a weapon that can harm you? What if you get hurt?" Barry said, listing off reasons. "You should call Alex and have her monitor you."

Kara scoffed, forcefully shaking free. "I thought you were different from everyone else- but you're not. You don't believe in me either." She said as she stormed off, presumably to go fight Vartox.

Barry wracked his brain to try to think of a better solution, or any solution at all, for that matter. Suddenly it him. He had a way to show Kara she was wrong and teach her a valuable lesson at the same time.

He was going to get beat up for Kara's benefit.

Barry ran out of Catco and towards the Power Plant as fast as he could. He prayed he got there in time.

As he reached the Power Plant, he ducked behind a metal heap as Vartox and Kara began to fight.

After a few moments of Kara getting utterly humiliated, Vartox picked her up by the beck and began to laugh. "Just because you wear that symbol on your chest doesn't mean you're him. Fighting him would be an honor. Fighting you is just exercise."

Kara struggled under his grip, and Vartox shook his head. "You actually think that you could stop me? That you'd be able to stop any of us?"

After watching Vartox battle, Barry quickly realized a way he could defeat him while still getting beat up in the process. It was risky at best, but it had to work- or else Barry would have to show off his powers.

Basically, Barry had noticed that Vartox was invulnerable. He had taken hits and hits from Kara without so much as flinching, much like Kara would if she was against a human.

Furthermore, the axe that Vartox was wielding seemed to be made out of a material not from this world- one that could harm Kara.

The plan was simple; Barry would go, charge Vartox, and then use his speed to knock the axe towards Kara. Kara would use the axe and split Vartox in half, or at least wound him enough for the DEO (Barry called them before he entered the plant) to detain him.

Barry got out from his hiding spot. "Hey, ugly! Pick on someone your own size."

Vartox dropped Kara with an amused grin. "What do we have here?"

Kara gasped and coughed, holding her throat. "Barry, no! Run!"

"Barry, huh? How quaint." Vartox chuckled as he leapt forward, zooming ahead and trying to punch Barry.

Barry easily dodged and used a little bit of speed to enhance his punch that stopped Vartox in his tracks. He slid under Vartox and unhooked the axe from his belt, tossing it to Kara.

He turned around and time slowed to the point where it seemed like Vartox's hand was barely moving. Barry sighed as he looked at Kara. She had to learn her consequences had actions.

Vartox's fist collided with Barry's face so hard he went skidding back. Barry grinned. "Come on, Vartox. You wanted to fight Superman but can't handle a measly human?

Vartox ran forward and kicked Barry in the leg, causing his to drop to a knee, before leaning and throwing a thunderous haymaker that echoed with a _crack_ as it smashed into Barry's chest.

"Barry!" Kara cried, ready to rush in, but Barry raised a hand.

"The axe hurts him," He panted, blood running out of his mouth. "When you get a chance, take it. Kill him."

"Fat chance, punk." Vartox taunted, punching Barry in the face again. "You really think you should've interfered? I'm going to make you wish you were dead."

Kara got up slowly. "Barry, please, you don't have to do this."

"Yes I do." Barry said with a smile as he rushed Vartox again. Barry was becoming anxious, so he accidentally channeled too much speed in his punch, and Vartox groaned in pain as he got punched in the face.

Barry ran behind him and grabbed him. "Kara, now! Throw it as hard as you can!"

Kara yelled and chucked the axe and Vartox. It hit Vartox with so much force that it tore through him and continued its trail, embedding itself in Barry's right shoulder.

Vartox fell forward, a gaping hole in his body.

"Barry!" Kara yelled, flying towards him and kneeling.

"Hey, Kara." Barry said, his eyes screwing shut. Superpowers or not, that blade _hurt!_

"I-I'm so sorry. I should've listened to you. He was so strong, and I just wasn't ready, and now you're hurt, and god, please don't die! Even though you just got here I like you so much and I love being with you/ I'm so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Kara choked out, tears forming in her eyes. She leaned forward into Barry, and Barry felt his shirt get wet.

Barry touched Kara's shoulder with his left arm. "This hurts, but don't worry. I'm here for the long haul. And Kara- there has never been a time where I haven't believed in you. You're amazing, in every sense of the word. You give me hope. So _please_ , don't feel bad. Live and learn right?"

Kara gave him a teary smile. "I- thank you. For everything."

Barry smiled as he leaned back and closed his eyes. "Hey, Kara?"

"Yes, Barry?"

"Nice throw."

They both started laughing obnoxiously as the DEO helicopters began to pull up to the power plant.

AN: Hey guys, this is sort of an idea I've been playing around with in my head for a long time. I thought it would be interesting to have a Barry/Kara story after I began watching Supergirl, so I decided to write one.

I read one Barry/Kara story called "Call me Kara" written by _SpeedForce 1229._ It's an amazing, and very well-written fic that I most definitely recommend if you're a fan of Barry/Kara.

I plan on making each chapter an "episode", so they will generally be around this length. It was definitely a new experience for me, writing this much, because I usually make my chapters 3k at most- this was nearly triple that. Therefore, I wanted to put out this pilot. I mean, if no one likes this story, why bother keeping it, right? Well, I'd probably keep it anyway, just because I myself love what I have in store for it, so…

It was a lot of work, too. Refining and adding and reviewing took forever, but I think it was more than worth it.

Also, I understand that some characters may seem OOC, and some things may seem to be too good to be true, like Zoom being destroyed, or Clark being able to get Barry a job just like that, but, this is a separate universe from the canon show, so anything is possible. Anything.

The last thing I want to address is Barry's speed. I have not read any of the Flash comics, and my knowledge doesn't extend beyond the show, so I did some of my own research, and my knowledge of the color of a speedster's lightning comes from the internet, so it is as follows:

"Brett Booth, a former Flash artist, tweeted, "The closer you go to light speed the color shifts. So red is the slowest. Blue and indigo are the fastest." This is called blue shift, in the form of speed force lightning. To further explain this, it's like the different colors of light our eyes can see. The visible spectrum. It varies in wavelengths and frequencies within the colors of light. For example, red has the lowest frequency and violet has the highest. Blue shift is basically a decrease in wavelength and increase in frequency from red to blue. Booth went on to say that the blue shifting of the Flash's lightning means that he's getting faster and further within the speed force."

Furthermore, "Rebirth Wally West possesses white lightning. This version of Wally is faster than the current version of Barry. He has a deeper connection to the speed force since he spent a lot of time there in recent comics, and utilities it to speed up time, like Ezra Miller's Flash in BvS when he gave Bruce that message. This goes along with saying that he's significantly faster than Barry. Also, after Godspeed stole other speedster's powers, he was faster than Barry, by having white lightning. Savitar has this color and he's faster than all the other speedsters. White lightning could also be all the colors combined, since white light is all the colors in the visual spectrum combined."

So, my intention was to give him _a lot_ of speed, but at the same time, make him unlikely to use it. His little stint in "Color World" leads him to think that his speed only causes problems, so he'll likely only use it to protect Kara in some way, shape, or form.

That being said, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this story. If you liked it, please make sure to review and let me know, and I will get started on the next one right away!

Till next time!

-Maroon


	2. S1, E2- Stronger Together

**S1, E2: Stronger Together**

 _My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. To the outside world, I am an ordinary reporter for Catco media, but secretly, I fight any enemies of Supergirl that she can't handle to keep her safe. There a lot of aliens that escaped from Fort Rozz, an intergalactic prison- and I am the only one fast enough to stop them._

 _I am The Flash._

Barry sighed wearily as another week at work trickled to an end, and Kara simply took off without saying a single word to him at all. He gathered his belongings and put them in his bag, ignoring the groan of protest from his legs.

After Barry realized that using his new powers two nights in a row taxed him to the point of near-death, he vowed to begin training more to get a grip on his speed. It wasn't to get faster, as Barry was already faster than he'd ever been, but more to train his body to handle the extreme pressure that would be on it.

Most of the time, Barry would run over to Clark and Clark would help him with weight training and building up his muscles to be able to withstand the constant force. For someone who had super strength, Clark still trained _hard_.

Barry's bruised and battered body could attest to that. Even with his accelerated healing, Clark pushed him so hard Barry felt it the next day.

Last night, Clark had Barry going through a workout he said he appropriated from the last person who won _America Ninja Warrior_ and then added his own "Clark touch". Safe to say, Barry was cursing Clark five minutes in.

Ignoring his indestructible friend/torturer, Barry's thoughts drifted to Kara.

Maybe his lesson was a little harsh. He'd just wanted Kara to know that her actions had consequences, and that people are her would get hurt if she wasn't careful enough- people that she couldn't bear to lose. That, and while she hadn't meant to go for it, she _did_ end up killing Vartox- that sort of thing wasn't easy for anyone- super or not. He did not mean to score Kara her first kill, but it sort of just happened.

Barry didn't condone killing. Sure, his plan earlier had a risk of Vartox dying, but he didn't know that Kara would aim where she did. In hindsight, he should have made a better plan, but he digressed. He was just trying to help teach Kara something that would normally be learned the hard way.

On the matter of Vartox, Clark was angry at Barry for letting himself get beat the tar out of and almost killed, but Barry had assured him it was okay. The DEO was slightly surprised at his ability to take a hit from an axe that could harm Kryptonians and still live to tell the tale. Director Henshaw made sure to drill home the absurdity of his actions, claiming that he could've died at any given moment.

Ever since that moment, Kara seemed to be avoiding him like the plague. Not only that, but according to Alex, who Barry corresponded with daily after he told her his secret (she claimed that no mere human could be hit where he was with any blade and survive, let alone an alien one, so Barry decided to tell her), Kara was more indrawn and melancholic than ever- almost rivalling how she acted when she first arrived to Earth.

She was also obsessed with training. Kara focused heavily on attempting to get stronger and faster, all the while learning martial arts from Alex and a few others at the DEO. Alex was worried that Kara wasn't okay, and expressed this to Barry.

It had been a long few weeks.

Barry slipped his bag (it was more of a satchel) over his shoulders as his phone buzzed. He took it out of his pocket, and saw that he got a text from Alex.

Alex: _Hey. She talk to you today?_

Barry replied, _No, she hasn't. You?_

Alex didn't reply for a moment, but Barry saw she read his message. The three little dots appeared, and Alex said: _No. Go by her apartment. Do something. She won't listen or open up to me._

 _Sounds good,_ Barry replied, sighing again. This was not going to be easy. He remembered how he felt after the singularity, and how he pushed everyone away. It was one of the toughest parts about being a hero, but Barry was just glad Kara learned it before someone died.

He closed the door to his office and began to walk to the elevator. Maybe she'd hear him out.

* * *

Barry showed up in front of Kara's apartment, and knocked softly. As he heard her footsteps echo, he nervously wrung his hands. What if she didn't want to see him? What if she didn't even open the door?

Before Barry could think any darker thoughts, Kara opened the door. She was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, and Barry could easily see the bags under her eyes.

"Barry?" She asked flatly, though Barry saw surprise in her eyes. She shifted awkwardly. "What can I do for you?"

"Can I come in?" Barry asked in a friendly tone.

Kara seemed to be in deep thought for a moment, before nodding. "Uh, yes. Yeah. You can come in."

"Great, I'll just take off my jacket…" Barry breathed as he entered Kara's apartment, taking off his jacket. He stopped midway when his gaze fell on Kara, who was looking at him impassively with her fists clenched by her side.

"Or not. I mean, I don't have to take it off, it's not _that_ warm in here. You know, I don't even really like this jacket, I just got it because Cat gave me a coupon that it made it even feasible for me to buy, and now she likes my style, and says she'll give me more, which is great, because I don't really dress up and this is a really nice jacket. I just thought since it was a little cold out and warm in here I could take it off and be comfier and yeah." Barry rambled awkwardly, his jacket hanging off of one shoulder.

Kara cracked a smile, which turned into a giggle, which turned into a full blown laugh. "No, you idiot, take it off. It's like 80 in here and 50 outside."

Barry grinned as he took his jacket off and sat down on her couch. She had been watching _Parks and Recreation_ and based on the multiple empty ice cream cartons littered on her table, eating as well.

"Ben is probably my favorite character," Barry stammered, attempting to make small talk. "Although, I do love Chris' attitude- oh, and the way he says literally."

Kara followed him, sitting next to him and looking at him with the impassive gaze she had when she answered the door. Cutting right to the chase, she said, "So…what do you want?"

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Barry blurted out. He steeled himself and took a deep breath. "And why have you only been training and neglecting everything else?"

"Well, you see, I, uh"- Kara began, but was cut off by Barry as he started speaking again.

"And don't give me some stupid reason, like, you're really worried about controlling your powers after what happened with the oil spill- you're not like that. You're too stubborn to change your entire lifestyle just because one dumb reporter called you out on a small thing. Maybe the training I could forgive, but on top of all of that, you've been so distant, from everyone! From Alex, from Winn-heck, even Ms. Grant thinks you're acting strange." Barry said, standing up and looking at Kara with a hurt expression. Tears started to from in his eyes. "And things are just, like, weird between us, and that sucks. And I miss you. You were my best friend before you started avoiding me. You were the only one I knew and liked! And I really miss you."

There was barely any sound in the room except for Barry's loud exhales as he tried to recover from his speech. Kara's face was slightly red, and she was shell-shocked, or at least her face indicated she was.

"I…I avoided you because I didn't want you to get hurt. I really like you and I was so scared when the axe hit you, and then Hank said you should've been dead, and I just couldn't handle it." Kara choked, tears forming in her eyes too. She hugged her knees to her chest. "I didn't want to lose you. Or anyone. It hurt so much to distance myself, but I thought it was for the best."

"Well, you were wrong, Kara." Barry said with a small smile on his face. "You could avoid me all you want, but the _second_ you need my help, I'm going come rushing in, no matter what. And, we're your friends! You're not going to lose any of us, ever, because you're a hero. You'll keep us safe."

"T-thank you. I'm sorry. I thought I was doing what was right." Kara paused, her eyes streaming tears. "Barry, I-I…I like you. A lot."

"I like you a lot too, Kara." Barry replied truthfully, holding her hand. He looked into her bright blue eyes and smiled reassuringly. "That's why you have got to take of yourself. Training into the ground and not getting enough sleep isn't going to help anyone. Neither is pushing people away. Okay, Kara?"

Kara nodded, wiping at her eyes. "I just- I haven't been able to sleep since I, you know, finished off Vartox."

"Ok first of all, I don't condone killing, and I _know_ you don't either, but you just reacted in the moment. You can't blame yourself for that. Second, I know how you're feeling. "Barry swallowed nervously for a second. He closed his eyes. "When I was a kid, I saw my mother get murdered by a man made out of lightning. He looked right at me, and disappeared. My dad was blamed for her murder and they took him away and condemned him to prison. As a kid, I could never sleep at night. I'd always think he'd come for me, or I'd end up dreaming about my mom's dead eyes looking back at me. It's always tough to move past these kinds of things, heck, I still haven't, but you need to let people in. You can't even begin to move past it until you let people in."

Barry opened his eyes as he felt Kara's hand on his cheek. Tears were streaming down her face and her lip was trembling. "Bar…that's horrible."

"Maybe," Barry said as a lone tear rolled down his cheek. That day still haunted him, even after he saw Eobard fade away. "You lost a whole planet. My point is, you're not alone. You never will be Kara, I promise."

Kara wrapped her arms around Barry and buried her head in his chest. "Thank you."

Barry leaned down into Kara's warmth, sighing in comfort. "Of course."

A few moments later, Barry heard soft snoring and looked down to see Kara sound asleep, a little bit of drool coming out of her mouth. Barry gently leaned back on the couch, as to not wake Kara. He closed his eyes, too, and he was out like a light.

* * *

"Oh my god!" Barry opened his eyes to the sound of Winn yelling as he entered the door, dropping a few boxes of pizza on the floor.

"Winn, be quiet, would you? I'm trying to sleep." Kara mumbled as she snuggled into Barry. "Mmmmmmm…"

Barry felt himself falling back asleep. Kara was practically radiating warmth. She was like a blonde space heater. And her snuggling felt so _good!_

"I just bought pizza, 'cause your sister asked me to check on you." Winn said, picking the boxes up as Barry began snoring lightly again. "I didn't know I'd walk in on this…this…this weird snuggle fest!"

Kara picked her head up from Barry's chest and rubbed her eyes, before turning a dark crimson as she noticed she was on Barry, who protectively had an arm around her waist and was fast asleep. "I-uh, we, we were just"-

"No!" Winn said, putting the pizzas down and waving his hands frantically. "I don't want to hear about it! That's gross, Kara!"

"No, no, you have the wrong"- Kara began, but was interrupted again as Alex walked in, whistling.

"Hey, Winn, did she accept the- oh my god!" Alex yelled as she saw Kara and Barry. She covered her eyes. "Kara, what the heck is going on?"

Barry slowly opened his eyes, only to find Kara's staring right into his. And then, he felt his arm around her waist and her arms on his chest. Barry suddenly realized they were in _very_ close proximity and that he could practically feel every part of Kara's body pressed against his. He felt his cheeks heat up. That training was definitely paying off. "Uh…good morning?"

"Good morning, Barry." Kara replied with a smile, not moving from Barry's chest. Her warm breath tickled Barry's neck. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"I sure did," Barry replied, his face inches away from Kara's. They both began to lean slightly closer and closer.

"You know, you can get off of him now." Winn interrupted just as they were about to kiss. He checked his watch. "And it isn't morning. It's 1 in the afternoon. Why would we bring you pizza in the morning?"

Kara hesitantly got off of Barry. That was the best sleep she'd had in a while, and Barry was a lot more muscular than she thought. She had this odd craving now to somehow be in contact with Barry at all times.

Barry repressed a sigh as he felt all of the warmth Kara was giving him leave, and he sat up, blearily rubbing his eyes.

Alex walked over and crossed her arms. She glared at Kara. "I'm guessing he got through to your thick head?"

Kara smiled softly as she quick stole a look at Barry. "Yes he did. I'm sorry."

"We're all good," Winn yelled from the kitchen, a slice of pizza in his hand. "Man, this pizza hits the spot!"

Alex looked at Kara sternly for a moment before her face broke out in a wide grin. She sighed in relief. "Thank god. How'd you do it Barry?"

"Good old lecture," Barry replied, yawning. He tossed Kara a lopsided grin. "Worked like a charm."

Kara returned the grin with one her own as she bumped her shoulder with Barry's. "Watch it, Bar. You don't want to get on my bad side."

"Is that a threat, Danvers?" Barry taunted, stretching. "Try me."

Alex watched this whole byplay with a small grin. It was good to have her sister back, and it was even better to see her acting like a lovesick fool. Alex doubted Kara or Barry knew the extent of their feelings, but it still warmed her heart to see it. "Okay, now. Pizza?"

Barry was at the table so fast Alex almost suspected he used his powers. Kara ran after him, and they both grabbed a box each, propping the lid open and beginning to wipe the boxes clean.

"Wonderful, there's two of them," Winn mumbled under his breath as Barry and Kara began to annihilate their pizza, and Alex nodded to herself in agreement.

As she watched Barry and Kara eat, she couldn't help but feel a trickle of dread. Barry was not who he said he was. Sure, Clark seemed to be best friends with him, but Alex had done some research of her own.

Barry Allen did exist, and he did look like this Barry Allen, but something was off. _That_ Barry Allen worked in Starling City with Oliver Queen. Sure, Barry just happened to have an I.D. and social security and all that, but there was no evidence other than that of his existence. Was he an Alien? Or maybe a cyborg? His speed was breathtaking, and there was no way any mortal man could run that fast. She doubted even Kara could go that fast. Maybe he was Mercury posing as a human.

Alex didn't know. At least Clark trusted him implicitly, so Alex could find comfort in the fact that he was a "good guy".

"Last slice," Barry said as they both finished their respective boxes and then looked in the last one. "So…"

"You know, maybe I should get it." Kara said casually. "I mean, I'm Supergirl. You don't need to fuel up for a marathon all the time."

 _Don't I?_ Barry wondered. Getting his usual caloric intake had been somewhat of a problem in his early days on this Earth, until Clark introduced him to a couple fast food places common to National City and Metropolis. They had this deal where you got a burger, fries, a drink, and ice cream for five bucks. Needless to say, Barry was easily getting his calories in now.

"True, but, I'm closer to it, so I think I should get it." Barry replied in the same casual tone as he reached to grab it.

Kara caught his hand and lightly cupped his face with her other hand. She leaned closer to him, to the point where their lips were almost touching. "Oh Barry. Sweet, sweet Barry. You want to give me this slice."

"Do I?" Barry replied as he moved his other hand to get the slice. Kara breathed in and blew out, freezing Barry's other hand onto the table. "Low blow, Danvers."

"I win, Barry." Kara winked as she grabbed the slice and began to eat it.

"That was a little unfair," Barry whined, trying to move his hand. "You have powers, and I don't."

Both Alex and Winn shared a look at this statement that thankfully went unnoticed by Kara.

"All's fair in love and war," Kara shot back, still happily munching on her ill-gotten slice of pizza. "Plus, I love peppers on my pizza and you don't."

"Well, yeah, but I still like pizza. " Barry raised an eyebrow, before ripping his hand out of the ice, shattering it. "Now my hand is cold. Thanks, Kara."

Kara rolled her eyes before she laced her fingers through Barry's pale white ones. "Better?"

"Yeah," Barry said, marveling at the fact that his entire body seemed to warm up at Kara's touch. "Much better."

Kara leaned forward further and pecked Barry's cheek. Warmth spread throughout his entire body. "Good."

"Blech." Winn called from next to Alex. "Get a room!"

"Well, I mean we had this one before you came in," Barry shot back, turning to face Winn. "So _technically_ you're just in our room, peeping."

Winn spluttered for a moment, and Alex began laughing. "He's got you there, Winn."

"He's got you there Winn." Winn repeated sarcastically, sticking his tongue out at Alex.

"How mature." Barry remarked as he grinned at Kara. "So, want to get a room?"

"Shut up," She replied lightly, her cheeks still reddening at the prospect. She sighed and looked at Alex. "So, time to put on the cape, huh?"

Alex nodded at her sister with a smile. She shrugged. "Supergirl doesn't take breaks."

"Too bad that other guy can't just do everything for me." Kara said with a groan. "What was his name? The Flash?"

"Yep," Barry said evasively. "The Flash."

Alex rolled her eyes at Barry. "As amazing and _scary_ that guy was, I doubt he'd know how to fight the hell gram thing that's tearing up our city right now."

"Hellgrammite." Kara amended, ripping open her pajama top. "They're dangerous."

"You sleep in that thing?" Winn asked as Kara took her shirt off.

"You never know when there could be an emergency," Kara defended. She followed by giving Winn a weird look. "Plus, I wasn't going to just rip open my top in front of you."

"We've confirmed six similar attacks on chemical plants across the country over the past year." Barry interrupted, ignoring Winn's spluttering. "He's been making his way to National City with enough chemical components to build a weapon of mass destruction."

"Not exactly." Alex said, pulling out a roll of paper. "After you left, we did some research. The tests we ran on his blood indicate his alien DNA isn't carbon-based like humans. It has a chlorine foundation. Each of those facilities stored confiscated DDT, which is a chlorine pesticide."

"So, he's not building anything with it, he's eating it." Barry guessed, to which Alex nodded. "Well, at least now you guys have a way to lure him out in the open."

"Right, _we_ do." Kara stressed, putting her hand on Barry's chest. Her eyes darkened as she looked at Barry seriously. "As in me, Alex, and the DEO. Promise me you aren't going to come running in again. I don't want any more heroics out of you, Bar."

"Don't worry, I won't be there." Barry assured her with a grin. "After all, you have the DEO now. That hellgrammite won't know that hit it."

"Good." Kara grinned back. "You mind staying here while I go take care of that thing?"

"No, of course not." Barry replied. "Go get them, Danvers."

"Oh, I will. Let's go, Alex." Kara said as she waved goodbye and left.

A few moments later, Winn cleared his throat. "So…super suit?"

"Super suit."

* * *

A few minutes later, Barry was clad in his all black suit and perched on the top of Kara's apartment building. "What's it looking like, Winn?"

"Nothing so far." Winn spoke through Barry's earpiece. Barry heard a loud sipping noise, and an _ahh._ "Everything is going well."

"That's good." Barry replied, relieved. He looked over at National City.

It was so peaceful during the nighttime. There still cars on the street and people walking around, but overall, there was just this amazing aura of peace and quiet. Barry could hear the fountain in a park next to Kara's apartment.

"So…you spent the night with Kara?" Winn asked awkwardly, breaking Barry out of his admiration of the city. "How was that?"

"Winn. The mission." Barry reminded. He really did not want to get into this with Winn right now.

He understood that Winn liked Kara, and Barry didn't blame him too much for that. It was hard not to be attracted to her. Everything about her was just perfect. Her beautiful blue eyes, her bright blonde hair, her sunny smile. Barry even found her naturally awkward demeanor adorable.

"Right, right." Winn stumbled for words. "I-uh, wasn't expecting it. Like, not that I wasn't not expecting it, because you guys seem close and all, but I wasn't, like"-

"Winn." Barry said again exasperatedly as he rubbed his temples. "Can you please focus on this for now?"

"Fine," Winn groaned. "It's just that this part of the job is _so boring._ We just sit here and wait for something to go wrong."

Barry shrugged to himself. "I know."

"You do?" Winn asked, surprised. "I-uh, I thought you'd be more 'every part of the mission matters, Winn' and reprimand me."

"Well, I mean, it does. It's just that back where I came from, I was a full time superhero. I rarely ever had to wait for action- it just came to me." Barry explained, thinking about how it was almost every week he had to fight a different metahuman. "I never got a break. Despite never wanting to go back to that kind of life, yes, I still find waiting around boring."

"Then why do you do it?" Winn questioned. "You're really freaking fast, man. You could end the problem before it even starts."

"For Kara." Barry said quietly, so quietly that Winn almost didn't hear. "When I got here, I told Clark I never wanted to use my powers and yet, the second Kara was in danger, I didn't hesitate. That being said, she is a hero, so she needs to do stuff herself. I'm just here to protect her when things get rough."

"Barry, where _are_ you from? And why haven't you told Kara yet?"

"That is a conversation for another time." Barry cut him off as he stood up. "Any news yet?"

"Mm, I'm checking right now." Winn replied. "Yeah…they found the hellgrammite, and it just captured Alex. It's taking her somewhere."

"Can you guide me there?" Barry asked as he ran down to the street, the area around him blurring past.

"Affirmative, comrade." Winn said in a poor impression of a solider. Barry heard him groan. "Jeez, that sucked. Okay, ready?"

"Yep."

"Straight." Barry took off in a flash of white lightning.

"Right, left, right, straight, right, left." Winn listed off as Barry tore down the streets of National City. "Left, left, and you should see them."

"Found them." Barry confirmed as he saw a human-like figure running with Alex slung over his shoulder. Barry could easily make out a large red stain on her, with something wedged inside.

"I'm coming, Alex!" Barry yelled, to which she nodded. He sped up, and grabbed Alex, before speeding to a rock and propping her up against it.

Alex grinned as she showed Barry her wound. "Little bastard got me good."

"Wait, where did the thing inside go?" Barry asked, confused. "I swear there was something wedged inside there."

Alex pointed to the hellgrammite, who was currently lying in a pool of blood.

"Are you okay?" Barry asked, turning away from the horrible sight.

"She is not." Barry heard a new voice say. A woman with brown hair touched down onto the ground, dressed in all black. She scoffed at Alex. "Bleeding. How pitiful. Human beings are so fragile. It's amazing any of you make it out of infancy."

"Alura?" Alex asked deliriously. She strained her eyes to look at her, and her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "You should be dead."

"How do you know that name?" The mystery woman all but spat. Barry could see her start to emit an almost palpable aura of hatred.

 _Ok,_ Barry thought to himself. _Do not mention Alura at all._

"I-I saw a hologram of you. A message from Krypton." Alex said, holding her fingers against her wound. Blood was beginning to seep through. "It was on the ship that brought your daughter to Earth."

The woman paused for a moment before she laughed. "Kara? No, no, sweet girl. When we were children, Alura and I took great pleasure in confusing our parents. I am not Alura. I am her sister-General Astra."

"You're Kryptonian." Barry said, modulating his voice to sound like Zoom again. More Kryptonians survived? That was not good. Especially if they were all evil…

"Who are you?" Astra asked, trying to get a better look at Barry.

"If you threaten Kara, I'm your worst nightmare." Barry growled as he stood to his full height. "Or anyone in National City, for that matter. That's what you're here for, isn't it? Killing?"

Astra scoffed. "Is that what you think? That my goal is simply to kill humans? You are so very wrong. I am here to save you all."

Barry laughed as he picked up Alex. "Famous words."

"Where are you taking that girl?" Astra demanded with an undercurrent of anger. "You do not want to try me, boy."

"Away." Barry said, getting ready to run.

"I think not." Astra said before flying towards Barry.

 _Fast_ , Barry had time to realize before he barely ducked out of the way and ran back to the rock he'd plopped Alex on before. This woman was several times faster than he'd ever seen Kara go.

Well, it sort of made sense. She was older, so she probably had more time to hone her powers.

"Interesting." Astra commented, touching back down on the ground. "You're very fast, aren't you? You are no mere human."

"You are correct." Barry said, his body beginning to vibrate as he heard the sound of whooshing approaching. "I am the Flash."

"BOOYAH!" Winn yelled from his earpiece, causing Barry to flinch momentarily. "You tell her, Bar!"

Kara touched down next to Barry. She noticed Alex in Barry's arm and her face warped into a concerned expression. "Alex! Oh my god, is she okay?"

"She can be." Astra commented with a smile. She raised her arms. "It's been a long time, little one. Look how you've grown. So beautiful."

Kara's eyes widened. "A-Aunt Astra? But y-you died. When Krypton exploded, everyone died."

Astra scoffed as she walked closer to Kara. "You're correct. Everyone on Krypton died when it exploded. Except I wasn't on Krypton when it perished. I was a prisoner aboard Fort Rozz."

"What?" Kara asked, stunned. Barry noticed her lip was beginning to tremble.

"Did your mother not tell you?" Astra demanded, malice lacing her tone. "How she sent me away? Banished her own blood? Imprisoned me for speaking the truth while she told only lies?"

"But why did she send you to Fort Rozz?" Kara questioned, still unable to wrap her head around the situation.

"For being a hero." Astra spat. "For trying to save our world."

Barry could tell Kara was slowly becoming unstable- not that he blamed her. If he thought everyone dear to him had died and then someone like his aunt just walked back into his life, he too would feel shell shocked.

Alex stirred in his arms. "I need help. The blood is coming faster."

"Kara." Barry called, running over to her. "Please take this agent back to the DEO for immediate help. I would take her, but she seems to be more comfortable with you."

More like, 'if you stay here you're going to try to fight your aunt it won't end well for either of you and attract unwanted attention'.

Kara pursed her lips. "Flash, dude, I'm in the middle of something right now. Can't you like _flash her away_ or something?"

Winn groaned over the earpiece. "Really?"

Alex winced in pain. "K-Kara…please…don't let this monster take me."

Kara sighed, glaring at Astra. "This isn't over, _Auntie._ "

"Of course not, little one. I'll just have a chat with your friend here. Take care." Astra said jovially as Kara flew away. "What a sweet girl."

Barry stopped vibrating his body and vocal chords. He looked at Astra. "You care for her."

"As do you," Astra retorted, crossing her arms. "That vibration trick is quite handy, but it will not hold forever. You are immeasurably lucky that Kara has always been preoccupied, or else her enhanced Kryptonian vision would negate that instantly."

Barry sighed, taking his mask off. "I know. It's becoming more and more difficult to constantly lie to her."

"Why not just tell her the truth?" Astra asked curiously, all hints of animosity wiped clean from her face. She actually seemed…concerned for him. "You're a handsome enough boy- she wouldn't hate you."

"Astra- can I call you that?" Barry asked, to which she nodded. "The thing is, she does know me. She just thinks I'm Clark, well you probably know him as Kal-El's friend who moved to National City a little bit ago. She can't know right now."

Astra smiled at him. "You seem like a very nice young man. Take care of Kara."

"I will." Barry assured her. He even offered her a smile, and he was delighted when she returned one of her own. "You don't seem like the mass murdering type."

"I am not." Astra agreed, sighing once more. She looked slightly hurt by Barry's comment. "I just- I lost one planet due to my inaction, and I do not wish to lose another."

"There are better ways to go about it," Barry said as he shrugged. "Fear makes people worried, and they'll fight back. Humans fear what they don't know/ Trust me, I know what fear can do to people. If you work with them and show them that you only wish to help, I'm more inclined to believe they'll listen."

Astra paused, in deep thought. "Kara is approaching. Continue your trick."

"Thanks for the heads up," Barry said as he slipped back into his Reverse Flash/Zoom inspired persona.

"Okay, Astra!" Kara yelled as she touched back down. "Let's fight."

Astra raised her hands. "No. I do not wish to fight at this moment. Your friend has given me, how do you say it, some nourishment for mulling?"

"Food for thought," Barry amended. He turned to face Kara. "I trust you have this under control?"

"Yep." Kara confirmed. "I got this. Say, who are you?"

"Nice try." Barry said before he ran back to Kara's apartment.

Kara flew back into apartment two hours later, and all but collapsed into Barry's arms.

"Where's Winn?" She asked, noticing his absence.

"Kara, it's 3 in the morning." Barry said, pointing to her clock. "Winn is at home and fast asleep."

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Kara followed as she sat on her couch and began taking her suit off.

"I wanted to make sure you came home okay," Barry said as he turned around instinctively. Despite being attracted to Kara, he didn't want to overstep any boundaries. "And you did."

"Mm, yeah, I did. Also, you can turn around now." Kara said as she finished dressing in her night clothes.

"Alright," Barry said as he turned around. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he drank out of his half-empty glass of hot chocolate. "I used some of your hot chocolate powder, sorry. I was just getting bored."

"No problem. So, any plans this weekend?" Kara asked as she walked over to her fridge and pulled out a carton of ice cream. "Rocky road?"

"No thanks, I'm all set." Barry said. He was trying to avoid eating for the night, as his constant vibrating would likely make all of that just come back. Drinking was just about all he could do. He sipped his cup. "And, no. Nothing at all."

"Nothing?" Kara asked, pushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes as she walked over to her couch and sat down. She dug into the carton and began eating it at speeds Barry had trouble seeing. "Really?"

"Yeah." Barry shrugged. "It may sound sad, but I have all I need right here, trust me."

Kara turned crimson. She stopped eating her ice cream, the carton already nearing emptiness. "T-that's sweet of you. You don't get bored of me at all?"

Barry shook his head. "Nope. You're great, Kara. Really. Plus we have a few weeks' worth of hanging out to do, anyway."

Kara smiled at him shyly. Barry thought it was cute how flustered she was getting. "Oh, stop."

Barry smiled back at her. He downed the last of his mug and placed it in her sink. Yawning, he said, "I-uh, I should probably get going. It's late."

Kara returned his smile. "Hey, about last night…I'm sorr"-

"Oh, no." Barry cut her off. Just thinking about being that close to Kara was giving his goosebumps again. "Don't be. It was the best sleep I've ever had."

Kara smiled again, her face slightly coloring. "Me too."

"Right. I'll, uh, grab my jacket…" Barry said, ignoring the ache of his body from the constant use of his powers. At least after the training it was better than before, where he felt like his organs were shredded. He began slipping on his jacket. "I think I'll just call an Uber or something instead of walking."

"You know what, I don't think you should go." Kara stammered, standing up abruptly. She gave Barry a nervous smile. "I think you should stay, and I think you should get in bed with me, and cuddle with me, and help me sleep. That's what I think you should do."

Barry's jaw dropped a little, and his jacket hung on one of his shoulders again. "I think I want to do that."

Kara laughed brightly, running forward and hugging Barry. "I'm so relieved you said yes."

"Ease up, Danvers." Barry joked as she pulled away. "Your cousin trained me into the ground this week."

"Oh? You're getting trained by Clark?" Kara asked as she led Barry to her bedroom, stepping over her discarded suit.

"It's more of a constant torture for me," Barry explained as he entered Kara's room.

It was fairly small and scarcely decorated. Barry noticed a few posters strewn about the room and a few picture frames across the sole window in the room. She had a digital clock on a bedside table, and that was about it in terms of furniture.

"Nice room." Barry complimented, walking around.

"Come _on,_ Barry." Kara stressed, already under the covers. "I need you!"

"Okay, okay." Barry said, sliding in next to her and wrapping his arm around her.

He heard Kara's sigh of relaxation as she melted into him. "Barry?"

"Mm?" He replied, already feeling Kara's warmth make him sleepy.

"This is nice." She whispered.

"Yes it is."

"Kara?" Barry mumbled.

Kara shifted so that she could rest her head on Barry's chest. "Yep?"

"Want to be my girlfriend?" Barry asked quietly, slipping his arm around her waist.

"Yep." She replied, happily leaning into his touch.

"Bar?"

"Yes?"

"We're doing this every night."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

"Barry Allen." Barry opened his eyes to see Eddie Thawne sitting in front of him dressed in a suit, sitting calmly in an ornate chair. He seemed delighted to be sitting there, if his wide grin was any indication at all. "Welcome."

"Eddie?" Barry asked, confused. He looked around and noticed they were sitting in his childhood home. Currently, Barry was seated in an incredibly comfortable couch, with a bottle of water next to him. "Where are we? How are we here? How are _you_ here?"

Eddie laughed, waving his hands. "At peace, Barry Allen. It's good to see you, but I'm not Eddie."

"That sort of makes sense," Barry agreed, just noticing that he too, was dressed in a suit. "Why are we here? This is my childhood home, correct?"

"Yes," Eddie said, frowning. "Do you not like it? We thought you would be most comfortable here, with a familiar face to talk to. We could change to someone else, if you'd like."

"We?" Barry noticed, narrowing his eyes as he looked around for any potential threats. "Who's we?"

"That's a little harder to explain." Eddie said with a chuckle. He took a small breath. "What do you know about the Speed Force?"

"It's the source of my power. It's what makes me a speedster." Barry replied, saying what he knew of the Speed Force. "My knowledge is a little limited, though."

"Yes and no." Eddie said, snapping his fingers. The light waves seemed to bend around his hand, and Barry witnessed a glass of amber liquid appear in his hand. He took a small sip. "When the first subatomic particle sprang forth from the Big Bang to form reality as you know it, we were there. When the last proton decays, stops vibrating, and plunges the universe into heat death, we'll be there too."

"Wait, I'm talking to the Speed Force?" Barry stammered, running a hand through his hair. "Wow. This is like speaking to gravity or light or something. So you're saying I'm talking to the source of my power, which just so happens to look like Eddie Thawne? That's trippy."

Eddie chuckled again, smiling at Barry. "We pretty much invented trippy here, Barry."

"Right." Barry said, loosening up and smiling. There was no threat here. If the Speed Force wanted to do something horrible to him, it would have just done it. "This is amazing. I-I'm honored to be here, to meet you."

Eddie smiled, waving his hand dismissively as he leaned back into his chair. "Nonsense. The pleasure is all ours, I assure you. We've been trying to contact you for a while, but it wasn't quite possible until now."

"Why?"

"Every step you take generates a certain amount of Speed Force-it's what makes you go as fast as you do," Eddie explained. "Yet, ever since the accident that transported you here, your connection to it has been much stronger and purer. I assume you've noticed you increase in speed?"

"Yes, I have," Barry replied. He looked at Eddie with a confused expression. "Is that also why my lightning is now a different color?"

"Yes. This is the reason we wished to meet with you." Eddie said seriously. "That increase in speed, while unnatural, is the result of a more, how do I put this, honed usage of the Speed Force. For all intents and purposes, you technically have the same amount of Speed Force in your system. You shouldn't be any faster."

"And yet I am." Barry whispered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "How?"

Eddie smiled at him, waving his hand. Two giant buckets appeared, one full of mud, and the other full of water. "This is our explanation about what happened to you. Let's say that you're building a car that runs on water, but there isn't much water. There is, however an abundance of mud, so, you use the mud instead of the water. As I'm sure you know, mud is a liquid or semi-liquid mixture of water and any combination of different kinds of soil, so, the car begins to move, albeit slowly."

"It still moves because there's water, but it doesn't move very fast because it isn't just water." Barry offered, to which Eddie nodded.

"Precisely. Now, let's take it a step further. When the car uses mud, it also has to filter out the soil from the water, correct? That uses up more of the water for a purpose that isn't related to the car going anywhere. Basically, let's say you have 5 bottles worth of mud- out of all of that, you'd be lucky to get maybe 1 bottle of clear water for use. Now imagine that out of the miniscule amount of water you got, you use nearly all of it simply for filtration purposes-splitting the soil away from the water."

"That leaves pretty much nothing to power the car." Barry realized, to which Eddie nodded reassuringly.

"Now, imagine, that car gets used to running on mud. It gets faster. It makes the most out of the small amount of water it gets." Eddie resumed, continuing with his metaphor. "Then, this car loses all of the mud it had for fuel. It's just gone, taken by another man to put in his own car."

Barry nodded, following along with the metaphor. "Which is what happened when Zoom took my speed."

"We were originally angry at you for that," Eddie admitted, sipping his drink again. "But after this new development, we decided to forego that anger. Anyway, this car, which had become efficient at going at high speeds with no water, all of a sudden something changes."

"The experiment."

"Yes. When Harry speared you with chemicals, it altered your genetic makeup. It made you capable of purifying the speed force." Eddie explained. "Along with its now natural ability to filter the water, despite getting the same amount of mud, this car now transforms the mud into water before it even gets in the tank. It grows exponentially faster."

"Wow," Barry murmured, running a hand though his hair again. "So now how fast am I?"

Eddie thought about it for a moment. "Well, doing your supersonic punch probably wouldn't take any more than a mile to pull off, if that's any indication."

Barry gaped at Eddie. "This- this is just, wow."

"The Speed Force has always been just mud to you," Eddie resumed. "You expended a lot of it wastefully while gaining speed. Now, however, you're getting it in its purest form _and_ not wasting any. So despite the amount of Speed Force at your disposal not changing, you're using it to its fullest capabilities."

"That's…amazing," Barry muttered.

"That being said, too much of a good thing _can_ be a bad thing," Eddie cautioned, his drink empty. "You've noticed the strain your new speed puts on you."

"It hurts constantly for hours afterwards," Barry admitted, sighing. "Even something trivial like vibrating my body and vocal chords for a while puts me through incredible pain."

"That's to be expected." Eddie assured him. "You're doing well to work towards getting tougher to handle it better, but I don't think you'll ever completely stop feeling the pain unless you somehow magically become like your friend, Clark."

Barry shrugged. "Whatever it takes to help, huh?"

"Yes." Eddie said, sighing. "I also wish there were a better way to say this, but your former team is on their way."

Barry groaned, laying back on his chair. "This is _so bad_."

"You can't go back," Eddie reminded, amused at Barry's antics. "We bought you here for a reason."

"I know," Barry said miserably. "I don't even want to go back. This just means I have to tell Kara about my powers."

"Perhaps," Eddie shrugged. "Or you could just meet up with them and tell them. Clark will send you a message in the morning to go to where he's found them, anyway. Tell them there."

"I will," Barry said as he sat back up, putting his head in his hands. "What a mess."

"Agreed," Eddie replied, leaning back into his chair with a sigh. "You know, we've been meaning to say, we have a present for you."

"You do?" Barry asked, surprised.

Eddie held out his hand, and showcased a golden ring with a lightning bolt. "As charming as your fixer-upper is, you're the Flash. You deserve a suit befitting of your stature."

Eddie snapped the top open, and zoomed into the suit which popped out of it.

Barry breathed in amazement. It was very similar to his suit from Earth 1, just white and gold and the face mask did not have any opening for his mouth. A golden lightning bolt zigzagged across his chest.

"Wow." Barry said, no other words coming out of his mouth.

Eddie laughed at Barry. "Yes, we are excited as well. That was all we really had in mind for this meeting. We'll be in touch if anything comes up. You'll wake up right about now."

* * *

Barry woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. For a moment he couldn't find it, and the Office theme song blared throughout the entire room, causing Kara, who was fast asleep on his chest, to stir.

He picked it up, and saw _Clark_ across the top. Groggily, he asked, "Hello?"

"Barry!" Clark said jovially. "What are you up to right now?"

"Uh, I was asleep." Barry replied awkwardly.

"Oh. That's fun!" Clark continued in the same jovial tone, although now Barry could easily tell it was forced.

"Bar?" Kara murmured sleepily. "Who is it?"

"It's Clark, Kara." Barry explained.

"Wait, why is Kara with you?" Clark asked, resulting in an awkward pause. "Oh. Well, I mean, you're my best friend and a really good guy, but if you hurt her"-

"Don't plan on it, Superman." Barry cut him off as he sat up. "What's up?"

"Yeah, Clark." Kara called crankily, pulling the blankets up to ward off the chill of the room. "What's up?"

"Just put me on speaker." Clark demanded, losing the jovial attitude as annoyance seeped into his tone. "I'm not explaining this twice."

Barry obliged, clicking the speaker icon. "You're on speaker, bud."

"Hey, Kara, there are some people here from far away who are claiming to know Barry, so I need to borrow him for a second." Clark explained reasonably. Barry heard Cisco yell something in the background, and a large crashing noise.

"At 4 in the morning?" Kara asked venomously.

"Yep." Clark said in a tone that left no discussion. "So, Barry, come by my apartment real fast."

Barry groaned slightly. "See you soon."

"Bye." The line went dead.

"You better hurry up, Bar." Kara demanded as Barry stood up. "If I wake up and your arm isn't around me, there'll be hell to pay, mister!"

"Alright Danvers, hang tight." Barry said as he pulled on his jacket and exited the apartment, before disappearing a flash of white lighting.

A few minutes later, he appeared in front of Clark's door and knocked. Clark opened the door and gave Barry a manly hug. "Ah, Bar. Thanks for coming."

"Of course, Clark. Anything for you. So, uh, what seems to be the problem?" Barry asked despite knowing exactly what the problem was.

"Come here," Clark ordered as he led Barry to his living room.

Barry repressed a groan. There, sitting on Clark's couch, were Joe, Iris, Cisco, Caitlin, and Wally.

"Barry!" They all yelled as he walked in the living room.

Barry and Clark shared a concerned look.

Things on Earth 38 just got a whole lot more complicated.

 **AN: Hey guys, I wanted to start of my saying thanks! The reaction that last episode got was amazing in every sense of the word. I'm so very glad that so many people like this story and wish to read it more! It honestly motivated me so much that instead of waiting around for a day or two, I just got started on this next episode right away! So as always, I have a few things I'll address in this AN.**

 **First off, Kara's kill. If I'm being completely honest, it slipped my mind that neither of them kill, so I had Kara kill Vartox. I try to play it off in this episode, but honestly, thanks a ton to everyone who brought it up, especially because you were all so nice about it. You weren't like, oh you missed this detail so you SUCK! I appreciated the constructive criticism for sure.**

 **Next up on the list is the dialogue. I am trying to flesh out the dialogue and everything a little more so it doesn't end up feeling like:**

" **Blah blah blah" Kara said**

" **Blah blah blah" Barry replied**

" **Blah blah blah" Kara said**

 ***something happens***

 **I'm trying to make it seem more realistic, like it would be if it were a TV show. I hope that is how it seems, but I just wanted to let you know I was attempting to improve in that regard, so please try to bear with me as I work all of it out!**

 **Third, did you guys like what I did with the Speed Force? I hope my metaphor made sense, but basically, it was my way of nerfing Barry while also giving him speed. Because now, he does in fact have the speed, but if he uses it too much, his body will suffer negative effects due to the fact that it is now "Purified" Speed Force being generated by him.**

 **Also, here's a link to the suit I was attempting to describe: url?sa=i &rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjGtfO_0Z_dAhXqc98KHUTnCvUQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F% %2Ftag%2Fgodspeed-dc-universe%2F&psig=AOvVaw1rFZhkY30gq7XPoA6CKp4E&ust=1536091597919146**

 **Lastly, I know it could seem like Kara and Barry are moving too fast, but I don't quite think so. They got along really well and acted flirty, and then all but took a break from each other for an elongated period of time, which just caused their feelings to grow to a point where they could not be denied any longer.**

 **Plus, they're in their mid-twenties. Although I'm not exactly that old, something tells me they don't need a reason to wait any longer.**

 **Also, I could see how some people might see the whole "Kara taking a huge amount of time away from Barry" thing could be bad, but I think that it's quite the opposite. Kara and Barry are always going to be around each other anyway, so I attempted to use that time to further Barry's relationship with Clark.**

 **As always, thank you all for your tremendous support, I hope this episode lived up to the pilot!**

 **Stayed tuned for next week's episode:** _Fight or Flight!_

' **Till next time!**

 **-Maroon**


	3. S1, E3- Fight or Flight

**S1, E3: Fight or Flight**

 _My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. To the outside world, I am an ordinary reporter for Catco media, but secretly, I fight any enemies of Supergirl that she can't handle to keep her safe. There a lot of aliens that escaped from Fort Rozz, an intergalactic prison- and I am the only one fast enough to stop them._

 _I am The Flash._

Barry felt his heart warm as both his real father Henry Allen and his pseudo father Joe West walked up to him and simultaneously wrapped him in a hug.

"It is so good to see you, Barry." Henry breathed as he tightened his grip on Barry, almost as if he was afraid he'd disappear. Henry pulled away a few moments later, holding Barry at arms length. "I've missed you so much."

Joe also pulled away, a wide grin threatening to split his face. "You look good, Barry. You've been working out?"

Barry and Clark shared another look. "Something like that."

"Hey, Barry!" Caitlin called from the couch, giving him a warm smile. "It's been a while."

"Yes," Barry chuckled. "It has been."

"I missed you, Barry." Iris called from the couch as she stood up and wrapped Barry in a hug of her own. Barry marveled at how much more different he felt around Iris. Before, Barry felt nervous and skittish around Iris, especially when she was dressed in semi-revealing clothes, like right now.

If Barry didn't know any better, he'd say Iris dressed that way on purpose. Her shirt cut dangerously low, and her jeans must've been squeezing the life out of her.

Yet, Barry felt nothing. No desire to compliment her, kiss her, heck, even this hug was going on longer than he liked. As he pulled away, all Barry could think about was a certain blonde haired alien who was probably hogging all of the covers as she slept.

"You look good." Iris complimented as well, flashing him a smile. "Handsome."

Clark gave a booming laugh as he slapped his hand down on Barry's shoulder. Barry to his credit, did not flinch. "Bar, she's got a point. This is an expensive jacket you got on. You must be writing some excellent articles."

"Oh, shove a sock in it," Barry retorted, grinning at Clark. He raised an eyebrow "I just mention your name and Cat decides to shower me with coupons to expensive outlets."

"Shut it, Allen." Clark said as a matching expression blossomed on his face. "You do look good. You must have a good workout guy."

"Yep. He's otherworldly." Barry replied dryly, to which Clark chortled.

Iris cleared her throat, causing both Barry and Clark to stop their back and forth and look at her expectantly. "Who the hell are you?"

Checking his watch, Clark rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Gee, real curious for a lady who just happens to be in _my_ living room, huh?"

"Well, let's settle down. Iris, you're in a different Earth in a stranger's house in the middle of the night. You have no right to go around asking questions like that." Barry interrupted with steel lacing his voice. He gave an expectant look to Iris, who scoffed and sat down on the couch. "Go ahead, Clark."

Giving Barry an appreciative nod, Clark cleared his throat. "I'm the resident superhero in Metropolis- Superman. I also just so happen to be best friends with Barry, so you guys are lucky. Otherwise, I would've just taken you to some remote prison and shoved you in there."

"He's joking. Settle down, Clarky." Barry chided, easing Wally, who looked ready to attack Clark. Not that Barry thought Wally could beat Clark- quite the opposite. He just didn't want to be the one to have to pry Wally off the floor after Clark demolished him. "But yeah, what're you guys doing here?"

"We came to rescue you!" Cisco yelled excitedly, speaking for the first time. Barry hoped it was his imagination, but he saw a sort of dangerous gleam in Cisco's eyes. "Oh it was so cool. I was vibing you one day, and then we somehow realized I could make breaches to other dimensions, so through the process of trial and error we made it here!"

"We saw some cool Earths." Iris continued, winking at him. "I'm glad we found you."

"Rescue me?" Barry repeated, almost laughing. Next to him, Clark began to cough, disguising a laugh."I-uh, look, I appreciate you coming all the way out here, but I don't need to be rescued. I like it here."

"You like it here?" Iris questioned, disbelief coloring her voice. She crossed her arms. "Look, Barry, we need you back there. _I_ need you back there."

"Nope," Barry shut her down, wisely not paying attention to the latter half of what she said. He somehow avoided sighing in frustration. "You don't. I had a lovely conversation with the Speed Force- the entity/force responsible for powering all of the speedsters- and it wants me here. Even if it didn't I'd stay here."

The entire group exploded in cries of consternation and disbelief. Barry and Clark shared a sidelong glance before Clark yelled, "Simmer down!"

"Thank you," Barry continued, fist bumping Clark. "I like my life here. You guys are welcome to come visit, and see how I live, but please, do not try to drag me back. That'll just make me mad at you."

Clark nodded in agreement with Barry. "He's got a good thing going, and personally, I love having him around."

Iris sighed, visibly upset. "Look, Barry"-

"We would love to visit you." Joe cut her off with a stern glare. He turned to Barry and smiled. "All that matters is that you're doing okay."

"Thanks, Joe." Barry said gratefully. He looked at Clark. "You should come, too, Superman. It's been a while since Kara has seen you."

"You know, I think I will." Clark replied, grinning at Barry. "Metropolis will handle itself for a day or 'll be nice seeing Kara."

Barry paled considerably. "Can we speed things up? Kara is expecting me to be back very soon, and if I'm not, she'll kill me."

"Yep," Clark chirped brightly as he wore a jacket and grabbed his keys.. "She will."

Barry tiredly ran a hand through his hair. "You guys can use my apartment- Clark knows where the keys are. Try not to make too much of a mess."

"And where will you be sleeping?" Henry asked curiously. "I don't want to displace my own son."

"I-I've got it covered," Barry stammered, his cheeks becoming darker. "Also, literally no one knows about my speed, so please refrain from talking about it at all."

Cisco leapt forward. His eyes gleamed with excitement. "I forgot! I made you a new suit. Wally here happened to get powers as a side effect of our experiment on you, so I've been improving my design."

"No thanks," Barry turned Cisco down awkwardly. He offered him an awkward grin."I was given a new suit by the Speed Force as sort of a reward."

"Reward?" Wally questioned. "For what?"

"Watch closely." Barry instructed as he zoomed across the room and back. "Notice anything?"

"Your lightning," Joe said in amazement. "It's white."

"I am faster than I have ever been." Barry said proudly, grinning widely.

"Man, so whichever city you live in must have no crime at all." Wally whined. "Just as I thought I was going to be faster than you, too."

"Not exactly," Clark interjected, turning off the TV, which the former team Flash had been watching."My cousin, Kara, is the hero there. Barry doesn't use his powers to clean up the normal crime in the city. He only uses it when the going gets really tough."

"Speaking of which, I really need to head back." Barry said in an apologetic tone. "You guys

should come by around lunch."

Sounds good." Clark spoke up before anyone else could say anything. "See you soon, Bar."

Barry nodded as he disappeared in a flash of white lightning and reappeared in front of Kara's apartment a few minutes later. He opened the door and all but ran into bed. Kara, as if sensing his presence, flipped over and latched onto him with a contented sign.

 _I could get used to this,_ Barry wondered to himself as he felt his eyes close.

* * *

The next morning, Barry still woke up before Kara. As he sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes, he entertained the notion that for whatever reason, Kara found out about his speed? Would she be mad? Happy? Scared?

"You're up early. Is everything okay?" Kara whispered, still wrapped around his torso. "I can hear your heart beating really fast."

"I'm just stressed." Barry took a deep breath. "I've been meaning to tell you for a while, but I'm not from this Earth."

Kara sleepily looked up at him, her eyes barely open. "So? Neither am I."

Barry grinned at her, kissing her forehead. "No, silly, as in, I'm from a different Earth. Basically, there are other Earths thall all exist at the same time, just vibrating at different frequencies. It's called the multiverse. I used to live on a different Earth where Metropolis didn't exist and I'm guessing Krypton was never destroyed, as there was no Superman or Supergirl on my Earth. That's besides the point- my old friends and family from my old Earth are actually here right now."

Kara suddenly shot up, alarmed. "Wait, did you say _family?_ I have to meet your dad? Oh my god, Barry, what if he doesn't like me? What if he thinks I'm like, stupid, or undeserving of you and then he makes you go back to you Earth?"

"Shh, you're freaking out over nothing." Barry rubbed calming circles on Kara's back. "He's going to love you, and no matter what, I'm not going back to my Earth. You're not getting rid of me that easy, Danvers."

Kara breathed a sigh of relief as she settled back into Barry's embrace. "Good. You're stuck with me."

"There's no one else I'd rather be stuck with," Barry replied truthfully, resting his head on top of Kara's gently.

"When are they coming?" Kara mumbled curiously.

"Around lunchtime."

"And what time is it right now?"

"Like 7," Barry informed, craning his neck a bit to see her alarm groaned into Barry's chest.

"Well, Mr. Allen, since you woke me up with your thundering heart, you get to make breakfast." Kara commanded. "Oh, and you get to carry me there."

"Technically, Clark is the reason we're up early, so I don't think I should pay for his misdeeds." Barry argued, a soft smile forming on his face.

Kara lifted her head from Barry's chest. She poked Barry. "No, Barry, you're paying for them. You know what, let's go out to eat. There's a diner nearby."

"I could just make a quick breakfast run, if you don't want to get out of bed," Barry said, trying to appease her. "That way, I make up for waking you up."

"You're the best!" Kara yelled as she stuffed her face back into a pillow and presumably fell back asleep.

Barry realized that she didn't even tell him what she wanted. A small smile graced his face as he exited Kara's apartment. Instead of using his speed, Barry decided to walk at a normal pace and try to enjoy the city.

As he reached the sidewalk, Barry was greeted by the sight of an early morning National City. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted throughout the streets, undoubtedly due to the dozen or so coffee shops around just this block alone. Runners were beginning their runs, and were everywhere, running in groups, alone, or stretching by the fountain that was nearby Kara's house.

There thankfully weren't that many cars, and Barry crossed the street. He entered a nondescript diner, where the majority of the people were sitting in booths and drinking coffee, their eyes glued to the television.

"Can I get, uh, 10 orders of waffles to go?" Barry asked as he reached the counter. There was a teenaged boy behind it, lazily flipping through the pages of a comic book. "Oh, and two cups,

one hot chocolate and the other coffee?"

The boy slowly looked up from his book, his mouth agape. "Dude, you know one of our orders of waffles could probably feed three people, right? You really gonna eat that much?"

Barry's cheeks reddened. "Who are you, the waffle police? I know what I asked for."

"Alright, alright," The teen conceded, huffing in annoyance as he wrote something down on his notepad, ripped it off, and went in the back to deliver it.

"Thanks!" Barry called cheekily as he took a seat. His eyes immediately drifted to the TV, and he was forced to do a double take.

There was a video on the TV of him and Kara confronting Astra! Barry's alarm and worry melted away shortly thereafter as thankfully the video began to blur as Barry flashed away, so it was unlikely that anyone would understand what had really transpired. Not to mention, the audio was cutting out randomly, and even when the audio was audible, it sounded like the phone was in a hurricane.

It was shoddy at best, but Barry knew that the explosion of this video had Cat Grant written all over it. She didn't _need_ any evidence, or even video quality. All she needed was anything that seemed remotely real and _boom!_

Well, she was the proclaimed _Queen of Media_ for a reason.

Barry suppressed to urge to groan as he knew Cat was going to have him report on this mystery hero…who just so happened to be himself.

"Hey, your order is ready!" The teen called lazily from the counter, and Barry walked up and paid for the waffles and drinks.

It was a little much to hold all at once, so Barry asked the teen for a bag, which he gave to Barry hesitantly.

"Have a _wonderful_ day," The teen said sarcastically as he returned to reading his comic book.

Barry bit back a smile as he read the cover. The boy was reading _Quicksilver._

 _I wonder if I could beat him in a race,_ Barry wondered offhandedly as he kicked the door open with his leg.

A few minutes later, Barry somehow managed to open the door to Kara's apartment and saw Clark sitting around the dining table with the gang.

"Uh, I said lunchtime." Barry reminded, looking at the clock. "It's 7:30. Not lunchtime."

"You don't have any food," Clark said casually, winking at him. "I wonder where you spend all your time?"

Barry spluttered for a second. "Yeah, yeah. She's got food in the cabinets."

"What about all that food in your arms?" Wally pointed out. His eyes narrowed as he counted. "Dude, that's like ten boxes."

"For me and Kara." Barry insisted as he placed the boxes down. He turned and looked at Clark. "You're taking the fall for this."

Clark's eyes widened. He suddenly scrambled to get up. "No, no! Barry you can _not_ tell her"-

"Tell me what?" Kara said, leaning on the doorframe to her bedroom with a mischievous grin.

Her hair seemed more under control and her teeth were sparkling, so Barry guessed she'd just brushed her teeth and made herself more presentable.

Clark gulped nervously. "Uh, morning, Kara! You're looking well."

"Uh huh," Kara nodded as she walked up to Barry. Barry wrapped an arm around her waist and she leaned into him. "You too, Clark. I heard you've been training Barry."

"He's a fast learner," Clark replies, his eyes shining with mirth.

"Hey, Clark, there's no sp"- Wally yelled as he he came back over and saw Kara look at him expectantly. "Oons."

"Kara, this is Wally." Barry introduced. "Wally, Kara."

Kara waved to him, not moving from her spot on Barry.

Soon, the entire Earth 1 crew came back into the dining area. Barry pretended to not notice Iris' glare at Kara, although Kara definitely noticed.

She tensed up, and leaned over to kiss Barry's cheek. Barry tightened his grip on Kara and she loosened up a bit.

"Well, for starters, that man on the right with the graying hair is my dad, Henry Allen." Barry said, smiling at him. "Next to him is the man who's been like a father to me, Joe West. To his right is Iris, my sister in all but blood, next to her is Cisco Ramon, basically my Earth's slightly cooler version of Winn, Caitlin Snow, one is the brightest minds you'll find on any Earth, and, well, you know Wally."

They all said their respective hellos, although Iris' was a little forced.

"So, Barry," Iris began tentatively. "Who's that girl?"

"I'm Kara Danvers," Kara replied with her sunny smile, although Barry could tell she'd amplified it a little. Were she and Iris really trying to one up each other? "Barry's girlfriend."

"Oh?" Henry asked, his eyebrows raised as he came forward and shook Kara's hand. "Strong grip. Listen, Kara, thank you so much for taking care of my son and keeping him happy."

Kara blinked, a warm smile blossoming on her face. "I- of course, sir. Your son makes me very happy."

Henry waved his hand dismissively. He held his arms out. "No sir stuff around here. Call me Henry. Welcome to the family."

Kara let go of Barry and accepted Henry's hug.

"Wow," Henry said in a strained voice. "You hug hard."

"Heh, sorry," Kara said embarrassedly as she stepped back. "I don't know my own strength sometimes."

Joe came forward, slapping his hand down on Henry's shoulder. He smiled at Barry. "No hug for me, but I am very glad Barry found someone. You sure know how to pick them."

Barry laughed awkwardly as he ran a hand through his hair. "Thanks."

"His girlfriend, huh?" Iris scoffed, crossing her arms. "What do you know about Barry, huh?"

"A decent amount," Kara shot back, her eyes smoldering with anger. "Why?"

"Because _I_ know all there is to know about Barry." Iris said smugly.

"Mmm, maybe." Kara retorted. Her cheeks reddened. "I'm still the one who he has his arms around and pulls close at night.

"Point, Kara!" Cisco called from the back, but faltered when they both turned their glares on him. "Sorry."

"Kara, honey," Barry intervened as he led her towards the waffles. "Let's eat breakfast.

"Okay, Bar!" Kara said a touch too brightly as she tilted her heads upwards and kissed Barry.

Barry was taken aback for a moment before he kissed her back, relishing in her minty taste.

He pulled away a moment later, dazed and vaguely aware that there were other people there.

"Waffles!" Kara said as she dragged an obviously out of it Barry away, leaving behind a fuming Iris.

"Trust me, I'll get her…" Iris continued to herself under her breath.

"Uh, what?" Clark asked, picking it up with his super hearing. He shook his head at Iris. "You do know that my cousin is indestructible right?"

Over by Barry and Kara, Kara was digging into her waffles as Barry slowly ate his and looked at her.

"Hey, Kara?" Barry asked between bites.

"Mm?" She replied as she continued eating at a rapid pace.

"You know you don't have to feel threatened by Iris, you know." Barry assured her, taking a sip of of his chocolate. "Regardless of what may have happened in the last few years, or however much she may know about me, I like _you._ You and you only."

"Thanks, Barry." Kara replied with a warm smile. She leaned forward and pecked his cheek. "Now, these waffles are looking good!"

She began to eat the waffles with gusto, until Iris came up again.

"Iris," Barry warned, seeing the arrogant gleam in her eyes. He felt a bubble of worry bubble up in him. He couldn't just speed her away- not without exposing himself.

"I bet you didn't know this, but Barry is the _Flash!"_ Iris revealed smugly, crossing her arms.

"Wait, Iris!" Clark yelled as he ran over. He saw Iris' expression and Barry's look of worry. "Oh, no…"

"Wait, what?" Kara turned to look at them, half of a waffle hanging out of her mouth. She sucked in in her mouth. "Barry is the Flash?"

"Well, you see…" Barry began, but Kara glared at him. Barry winced.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Barry Allen." Kara threatened.

"Uh, yes." Barry said resignedly, putting his head down.

Kara reached forward and went to punch him in the face, but he easily dodged it. "All this time...all this time...you were him! You didn't think I found handle myself!"

"What?" Barry spluttered. "That just isn't true!"

"Wait," Kara continued, her eyes smoldering. "So that whole thing with Vartox was a fake too? You _let_ yourself get beat up. You could have died!"

"I'm with her on that one," Clark said casually, receiving glares from both Barry and Kara. "Sorry."

"I knew you'd save the day." Barry replied, attempting to ease Kara.

Kara turned to Clark angrily next. "That means you knew too! Did _everyone_ but me know?"

Before anyone could say anything, Kara's watch beeped. She sighed tiredly and looked down at it. "They need me at the DEO. Are you coming, _Superman, Flash?"_

Hank was less than sympathetic as they all arrived. He just shook his head with his arms crossed. "Guess she found out, huh?"

"So everyone _did_ know!" Kara yelled accusingly at Barry.

Barry offered her an awkward smile. "Surprise?"

As Kara huffed and turned away, Hank shook his head and pulled up a map of the city with a pinging red dot.

"Multiple car pileup." Barry recognized instantly, his eyes roving over the screen.

"Not quite," Hank cautioned as he pressed a few more buttons and a traffic light camera's view flooded the screen.

Clark's eyes widened as he caught the sight of a man standing over the car, his chest pulsing red. "Oh my- that's Reactron!"

"Reactron?" Barry asked uneasily, noting the slight air of discomfort around Clark.

"Clark can't beat him." Kara said plainly, not even looking back at them. "I should go."

"Do you _hear_ yourself?" Clark asked indignantly. He sighed in frustration as he rubbed his eyes. "Kara, you're doing great. Really, you are. But, have been doing this _a lot_ longer than you, and believe me, you _can't_ beat him."

"While I agree with Clark, there's also another thing," Hank intervened, his eyes boring into Kara. "After your slip-up in the interview, it's entirely possible he _wants_ you to come out so he can kill you. It's no secret he has a grudge with Clark."

"Slip-up?" Barry asked curiously. "What happened?"

"As if it's any of your business," Kara replied icily. "Looks like I'm going to start keeping secrets from you now, right, _Flash?_ I'm going."

"Kara"- Clark began, but was cut off as she flew off. He groaned.

"I'll take care of her," Barry promised, pointing his Flash ring and zooming into his new suit. He exchanged a nod with Hank before he disappeared in a flash of white lightning.

—

Barry arrived and stopped at a distance. Kara was already angry enough at him, and the last thing he wanted was to push her anger to greater heights.

That chick was _scary._

Barry winced as Kara's haphazard punch was deflected with ease. Reactron snorted as he reached back and slammed his fist into Kara's face. Kara, caught by the surprising force of his punch was sent hurtling backwards.

"Superman took everything from me," Reactron said with a growl. "I'll take everything from him."

Kara got up, wiping her face determinedly as Reactron lifted off the ground and shot towards her.

She ducked under him and grabbed his foot, flinging him backwards into the ground with enough force to crack it.

He lifted his hand, and Kara rolled backwards, narrowly avoiding a blast of red.

"That's the suit's power," Clark spoke in Barry's ear. "She did good dodging it, because that's nuclear energy and would've still hurt her."

Barry's eyes widened. He felt a small trickle of dread. "If that thing powering his suit is nuclear, wouldn't removing it cause it to blow up?"

He heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end.

"Barry." This time it was Hank. "If Kara removes that thing, you have to run it somewhere, fast. Somewhere far, far away."

"Or cover it in lead," Clark suggested. "That'll negate the effects."

"I think I prefer that one." Barry replied truthfully. "I'll try to keep my eye out for any."

Meanwhile, Kara and Reactron were exchanging blows like heavyweights in the championship round of a boxing match.

Skin met metal, and metal met skin. Barry noted Kara's punches were beginning to dent his armor slightly.

He stepped back, holding his arms over his body in an X. Both of his arms began to glow in a dim red light.

Kara, thinking ahead, jumped into the air.

Reactron chuckled. "You played into me."

He shot towards Kara and unraveled his arms, a burning X flying towards Kara. Kara attempted to dodge, but it caught her in the foot.

She stumbled to the ground, clutching her leg. "Agh!"

Reactron grinned, stepping forward.

Kara stepped back and her eyes turned red. Two twin beams shot forward, and Reactron hissed in agony as his right arm began to bubble.

"You are an interesting specimen," Reactron said begrudgingly as he rolled his shoulder. "You fight like Superman, but also not. I am impressed by your fire."

Kara shifted awkwardly, her face still slightly contorted in pain. She shook her head. "Don't compare me to him. I'm my own person."

Reactron shrugged. His eyes peered out at Kara from under his mask. "I don't care. You'll die all the same."

As they continued their fight, Barry sped away and returned with a block of lead.

"Where'd you get that?" Clark asked curiously.

"Some construction site fifty miles away," Barry retorted casually. He awkwardly paused. "I, uh, appropriated it."

He heard a sigh from Clark. "Oh, Barry…"

Back with Kara, things weren't looking so good. Every time she attempted to get close to Reactron, he emitted the red light and she fell down.

She was tiring.

As Reactron let out another burst of energy, Kara dropped the her knees.

"You fought well," Reactron complimented, his chest slightly heaving. His armor was dented in places, and his right arm had been signed onto his skin. Slight trails of blood leaked down his mask. "Very well. But, if Superman can't beat me, what makes you think you can?"

Kara closed her eyes, breathing heavily. "Damn…"

Barry ran in front of her, causing Reactron to step back.

Kara looked up at him, surprise written all over her face. Her blue eyes shined. "I-you came?"

Barry tossed her the lead. "Of course I came. I'd never leave you. Listen- I need you to melt that lead a little bit. If I take that thing out of his chest it'll blow up unless it's encased in lead."

Kara nodded, her eyes turned red as she looked at the lead.

Barry turned to face Reactron. "Well, this is where it ends."

Reactron opened his mouth, but Barry blurred forward and slammed his fist into his face. As Reactron reeled from the blow, Barry ran behind him and kicked the back of his knee, dropping him down.

He punched Reactron across the face, knocking him out.

Barry reaches forward and pulled out the glowing orb, but was instantly assaulted by waves of pain.

"Oh my god!" Barry screamed, his eyes pooling tears. His suit began to melt, and his skin was glowing a dangerous shade of red.

"The radiation!" Clark yelled from in Barry's ear, but Barry couldn't hear it over the haze of pain. "Barry put it down! Let Kara take it!"

Barry gasped out as he ran to Kara and dropped to his knees. The orb tumbled into the lead and encased itself there, the glow fading.

"Barry!" Kara yelled as blood began leaking out of his ears and mouth. "Clark, Clark what do I do!"

"I-I don't know!" Clark retorted in a dismayed tone. "Bring him back here!"

Kara picked up Barry and shot into the air.

—-

A few minutes later, Barry was hooked up to a bed with Caitlin fussing over him. There were tons of computers and monitors around him, all displaying different images of Barry's vitals and body.

"Cait, it _hurts_." Barry moaned, his face twitching in pain.

"Shhh," Caitlin replied as she lightly patted his arm. She turned to a computer and zoomed in. "Ok, so little bit of a good news, bad news situation here."

Kara, who was pacing in front of Barry's bed stopped and looked at Caitlin expectantly. "What is it?l

Caitlin wrung her hands nervously. "Well, the bad news is that all the radiation from the core seeped into Barry's hands and caused the bone inside to get damaged really bad. Worse, he must've had injuries before, too, because it reawakened them, and he has a touch of internal bleeding.."

Kara moaned nervously. "Isn't that like bad? Really bad?"

Caitlin scoffed lightly for a second. "Yes, Kara, but the good news is that Barry's body has already basically purged it from his system."

She paused and looked at Barry. "Your healing factor seems to have increased with your speed."

"That's good," Barry said through gritted teeth.

"Yes," Caitlin insisted. "It is. It's very good. The only slight problem is that based on what I know of your body-which is everything, you're going to need to take it easy."

"So he's okay?" Kara asked, ignoring the body comment.

"Well, Barry hasn't ever had to fight off a sickness as intense as the cancer he received today. It stands to reason that his body will be tired." Caitlin said, pulling up a few images of the cancer in Barry's system being eradicated. "I mean, he would've been fine with his old speed, it would've just taken longer."

"Don't worry, I'm thanking my lucky stars." Barry said sarcastically, his eyes screwed shut in pain.

"Shush you." Caitlin said, her eyes meeting Kara's. "I, uh, I need to run to the restroom. Kara, watch Barry for a second."

 _Smooth,_ Kara thought to herself as Caitlin left the door, squeezing her arm.

"Uh, I-I'm sorry." Kara stuttered out, looking down.

Barry began coughing, wheezing between fits of pain and laughter.

Kara glared at him angrily. "Hey! I'm trying to apologize! Can't you at least not laugh?"

"Kara, honey," Barry laughed. "What exactly are you apologizing for?"

"Maybe for yelling at you and acting like a bitch before going off to fight someone Clark couldn't?" Kara short back sarcastically. Her eyes began to brim with tears. "Maybe for putting you in a situation where you got hurt...where you could've died."

Realization dawned on Barry's face. With a slight grimace, he sat up. "Oh, Kara. You don't have to worry about me. It's like Cait said- I'm practically invincible."

"Did we hear the same Cait talking just now?" Kara said incredulously, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"So are we good?" Barry asked.

Kara pursed her lips. She nodded, sitting down next to Barry. "I-I like you a lot Barry. But for _us_ "- she said, waving her hand back and forth between them. "To work, you need to tell me everything."

Barry leaned back into the bed, sighing resignedly. He looked at Kara sadly. "Well, here goes…"

A few minutes later, Kara was sitting back, her jaw completely dropped. She tried speaking for a few moments but just shook her head.

"I-I don't even know what to say." She finally ground out.

"It's okay," Barry assured her, taking a moment to himself to try to look at it from her perspective. Basically, he told her how he got his powers, Thawne, Zoom, the multiverse theory-which although he touched in earlier, was still complicated- how he ended up here, _and_ the Speed Force. "You don't have to say anything."

It was remarkable she was still here.

She lightly wrapped Barry in a hug. Well, relatively lightly. Barry still felt like he was being constricted by a steel crane- but in a good way.

Or so he thought.

"Thank you for sharing." She whispered in his ear. He felt a few drops of water fall on his skin. "I'm sorry about your mom."

Barry closed his eyes, haunting visions of that night flashing in his mind. "It's alright. He's gone."

And even if he came back, Barry would stop him, he vowed.

"Barry!" Iris yelled as she came back in the room, stopping as she saw the embrace Kara and Barry were in. "Oh, hi, Kara."

"Hi." Kara said boredly, with an uncharacteristic emotionless face. Her normally bright eyes were like chips of ice.

It was a little terrifying to see for Barry.

Iris shifted awkwardly, stuck between the hallway and the room. "Uh, we're leaving."

"Oh, already?" Barry asked curiously- and even a tad suspiciously. "Why? Did Joe and Dad really need to get back that fast?"

"Yes." Iris said, not meeting Barry's eyes. "Goodbye."

"They're not going," Barry called out knowingly, causing Iris to stop. "You want me to think they're going so that I act like they're leaving to them and they think I don't want them here- right?"

Iris turned around and laughed awkwardly. "Oh, come on, you know me. I wouldn't do that."

"You're right. I do know you." Barry stressed. "And I _know_ you'd do that. Look, Iris, whatever was in the last between us was just that. In the past. I'll never feel anything more for you than sibling love. I don't care if you don't like that, but you're definitely not going to come in here and ruin everyone else's time."

"I- you're right. I'm being selfish. I'll see you around, Barry " Iris swallowed and said dejectedly as she left.

"One second, Bar." Kara sad, kissing him softly and then getting up and chasing after Iris.

Kara caught up to Iris and grabbed her arm. Her eyes were dangerously turning red. "Listen here, _Iris._ Barry is _mine._ Try anything like you've tried in the past, and I'll do something you won't want."

Iris scoffed, trying to pull her arm away. Her eyes met Kara's. "As if I'm afraid of you. I don't know why Barry is acting like he is, but when he comes to, he'll come back to me. Like always."

"Fat chance." Kara short back, releasing Iris and turning around to walk back to Barry.

* * *

Two hours later, Barry was back on his feet and among the Earth 1 visitors.

"Well, where to next?" Joe asked.

Barry ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, I mean, I could take you guys to my work. I doubt anyone will be there but if you want…"

"We'd love to," Henry called, walking forward and smiling reassuringly at Barry.

"I work there too," Kara said, now changed out of her costume and wearing jeans and a jacket that looked suspiciously like the one Barry was wearing a night before.

Clark raised an eyebrow at Kara's jacket. "Yeah, Kara? Nice jacket. Did you and Barry get matching ones or…?"

"Oh, shove a sock in it, Clark." Kara shot back as Barry wrapped his arm around her waist. She turned to Barry and smiled at him. "That reminds me- are you faster than Clark?"

Clark and Barry both began to laugh. "Much, much faster."

"Yeah, the first time we raced, Barry smoked me so bad I didn't even know the race started." Clark remembered, wiping a tear away.

"Really?" Cisco butted in, killing the camaraderie Kara, Barry, and Clark had going.

"Yeah," Clark said with noticeably less enthusiasm. "Anyway, Catco?"

The group decided to travel in one of the cars Hank provided, seeing as there were a lot more people than before.

As they pulled in to the company garage, Barry rolled his window down and waved to an elderly man inside the little toll booth between the two lanes.

"Hey, Stan!" Barry said, rolling down the window.

"Oh, Barry! Some left over work?" Stan called, peering out. He pressed a button and the toll raised up.

"Something like that. You have a good one Stan." Barry replied politely as they drove past the toll.

"Fancy," Joe commented as they got out of the car and walked towards the elevator.

"Just wait till you see his office," Kara said brightly from his side. "It's _amazing."_

"You have your own office?" Iris asked incredulously. Her mouth was slightly agape. "I've been a reporter for much longer and I don't even have one."

"Yeah, I do." Barry replied neutrally. His expresión brightened a bit as they stepped out and he saw Cat. "Oh, Ms. Grant! Hello!"

She turned boredly, but almost dropped her latte as she saw who it was. "Barry! Clark! Wow, isn't this my lucky day?"

Clark laughed as he stepped forward and reluctantly accepted her offered hug. "Hello, Cat."

"Hello to _you_." Cat said in a low tone, but cleared her throat when she noticed everyone else. "Who are these people Mr. Allen? And is- Kerrah, it is you!"

"Hi, Ms. Grant." Kara said with a smile plastered on her face.

"This is my family, Ms. Grant." Barry said, gesturing towards the group. "The man with the graying hair is my father, Henry, the man next to him is the man who raised me, Joe West, my pseudo sister, Iris, and some other friends. I just wanted to show them my office- if that's okay, of course."

"Oh, no by all means." Cat said as she straightened her dress. She smiled at Henry and Joe. "Your son is a _very_ talented reporter."

"Why, thank you." Henry replied, returning Cat's smile.

"Oh, and I need to talk to you after, Mr. Allen." Cat said with an air of uncharacteristic seriousness.

"About the other superhero that came up?" Barry asked knowingly, his suspicions confirmed as Cat's eyes lit up.

"Precisely," she said with a nod. "Drop by before you leave."

"Sounds good, Ms. Grant." Barry nodded as she walked away.

Barry led the group to his office, and opened the door.

Joe let out a low whistle. "This is all yours?"

"Yep," Barry replied proudly.

His room, while not as large as some of the others in the office, was definitely cozy.

He had a pretty large desk with his company computer on it (even though Barry went out a bought a laptop) and a couple knick knacks, like a Newton's cradle and a small clock.

Behind his desk, he had a filing cabinet and a few paintings across the walls. The only window in the room was wide and across the desk, giving a stunning view of the city.

"Little bare, but I usually just do my work at home or in Cat's office." Barry said, shrugging.

"Yeah, all 3 seconds worth of it," Kara interjected, causing Clark to laugh.

"That's one power I wish I could use," Clark agreed. "If I tried I'd probably snap the keyboard in half."

"How much do you make?" Iris asked abruptly.

"Well, it hasn't really been set in stone, but the minimum is like, 60,000 without tax."

Iris shook her head. "Well, at least we still make around the same."

Barry laughed awkwardly. "Well, I did say minimum. I also get paid for how well my articles are received, so I'm probably looking at above 100k, especially considering that Cat puts me in mainly superhero stories, which are the hot topic around here."

"Unbelievable," Iris groaned. She crossed her arms and looked at Barry. "So this is why you left- to make more money."

"Well, I was kind of utterly vaporized by an experiment to save the city," Barry replied coolly. "But sure. That's why I left."

Iris scoffed. "Whatever."

Rolling her eyes at Iris' attitude, Kara nudged Barry. "You have to go see Cat."

"Right," Barry remembered, grinning at Kara. "What would I do without you?"

"Probably be miserable." Kara replied after a few moments of pretending as if she was in deep thought.

"Too true, Danvers, too true." Barry laughed, leaving his office.

Barry knocked on Cat's dope a few moments later. "Ms. Grant?"

"Ah yes, come in, Mr. Allen." Cat said between bites of salad. As Barry walked in, she sprinkled some cheese onto her next bite and ate it.

As Barry sat down, he offered Cat a smile. "How has your weekend been, Ms. Grant?"

"It was great, Mr. Allen." She said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "I know you're new in town, but I _definitely_ recommend going to Giovanni's when you get the chance. Their salad is _to die for."_

"It _does_ look pretty good," Barry agreed. "I'll have to check it out sometime."

"And guess how many calories?" Cat said.

"Lay it on me." Barry replied with an awkward smile.

" _Just_ 500!"

"Wow-that's just, wow." Barry stammered, running a hand through his hair. "Unbelievable."

"Right?" She continues incredulously. "Anyways, this new mystery hero. I was originally going to assign him to someone else as you have your hands full with Supergirl but after seeing the feedback your Supergirl article got, I'd be stupid to _not_ give you him."

"I- thank you, Ms. Grant." Barry said gratefully. He leaned back into his chair. "How do you know it's a guy?"

"Oh, silly Barry," Cat reprimanded as she took a sip of her water. "When you've been doing this as long as I have even a low quality video like that can tell you all you need to know. What I can gather from that video is that the person behind the mask is a man, and that he's close to Supergirl. Any name ideas?"

Not this again, Barry groaned to himself. If he remembered correctly, his original name had been The Blur- and he hated it.

But, if he were to say the Flash first, Cat would shut it down.

Taking a chance, Barry suggested, "How about the Blur?

Cat made a _tsk_ noise. "I like it, but there isn't enough pizzazz. Like Supergirl, if _I_ am the one to give birth to this hero, he absolutely needs a flashy name."

Barry almost snorted at her inadvertent use of his name. Clearing his throat, he said, "That's tough indeed. Maybe, like The Speedster, or something. I mean, just look at the way he speeds away. He's gone in a _flash_."

Cat mirrored Barry, leaning back into her chair. "Hm...what was that you just said?"

"He's gone in a Flash." Barry repeated, biting down his lip to fight off the smile that was forming. This was _too_ easy.

"Barry Allen, I could just kiss you!" Cat yelled, scribbling something down in her notepad. She held it up for him to see, showcasing the words _The Flash_ in bright red.

"Ms. Grant- that's amazing!" Barry complimented, a grin growing on his face. "Do you need my initial draft by tomorrow?"

"I'll never understand how you write articles so fast yet still maintain such a level of excellence, Barry." Cat complimented. She shrugged to herself. "I guess Clark recommended you for a reason, huh? And, yes. If you have it ready by then, send it to the editor."

"Sounds good, Ms. Grant. Have a nice rest of your day." Barry said as he stood up.

"Oh, Barry?" Cat called as Barry was about to exit. Her face was looking at Barry with a terrifying expression of anger. "Break Kara's heart, and I'll break you."

"Uh…" Barry trailed off. "I won't."

"Good," Cat said, her face morphing into a warm smile. "Now, ta ta, Mr. Allen."

Barry didn't know what was more surprising- the fact that Cat said Kara's name right or the fact that she deduced they were dating.

Kara was waiting for him outside Cat's room. She smiled at him. "Everyone else is already downstairs. Ready?"

"Yes I am." Barry said, taking her hand in his and walking towards the elevator.

* * *

 _A few hours later_

"Well, Barry, it really was nice to see you." Henry grinned, pulling him in for a hug. "Even if you aren't with us, as long as you're doing alright, I'm alright."

"That's right," Joe agreed from behind him with a sad smile. With a nod towards Kara, he said, "As much as I wish we could convince you to come back, you've got a good thing going here. Just make sure to visit once in a while, okay?"

"You got it, Joe," Barry replied as he hugged him too.

"And make sure to invite me to the wedding." Joe whispered in his ear, pulling away with a final clap on the back.

"Joe!" Barry protested, his cheeks growing warm. Kara, who was talking to Caitlin across the room began stuttering for no apparent reason.

Henry winked to him as he and Joe walked over to Cisco, who'd been uncharacteristically quiet the whole trip.

"So, you're not coming back." He said plainly.

"That's right." Barry said, his brow scrunching in confusion.

Cisco just sighed and shook his head. "I'll miss you. I guess I'll be seeing you soon."

"I'm sure you will." Barry said, offering Cisco a handshake. "Make sure to visit."

"Of course!" Cisco said, the same dangerous gleam in his eyes from before. "Alright! Earth 1 gang, lets roll out!"

Barry smiled at the return of the Cisco he knew, but was unsettled by the look in his eye.

 _I'll have to keep an eye on you, old friend,_ Barry thought to himself.

As the rest of the Earth-1 inhabitants gathered around Cisco, Iris pulled Barry aside.

"I-look, Barry, I'm sorry." Iris said, wringing her hands. She looked genuinely distressed, but Barry still was unimpressed. "I, well, I guess I was just hung up on how you left. I thought we had something, and that we were meant to be together-like always."

"Yet you dated Eddie before." Barry replied, shaking his head. "Iris, anything between us was strictly in the past, and won't ever happen again. Don't let that ruin our friendship. You're like a sister to me, and always be, but stunts like the one you pulled make me rethink that."

Iris swallowed and nodded slowly. "See you around, Bar."

"You too, Iris." Barry said with an upward nod. "Take care of Joe and Henry for me."

"Always," she promised as she walked away.

Cisco opened a breach, and everyone said their final goodbyes, before stepping through and disappearing.

"Well, that was certainly interesting." Clark added as an afterthought.

"Eventful weekend." Barry commented on response.

Clark groaned as he stood up and stretched. "And now, the real world beckons."

"You could stay for dinner, if you wanted." Kara offered, to which Clark smiled and shook his head.

"I appreciate the offer, Kara, but you two have had a really busy weekend. Relax, get some rest, and get ready for another tough week- especially _you,_ Barry. I've been looking up some old _American Ninja Warrior_ contestants. Me and you, we're going to have some fun." He winked, to which Barry groaned.

"That means I'm going to be in pain." He translated to Kara.

"You're right there, Bar. I better get going now, too. I have an initial draft due tomorrow that won't write itself." Clark said, shuddering at the thought. He pulled Kara into a hug and, afterwards, did a secret little handshake with Barry.

"I'll text you." Barry grinned as Clark went shooting out of the window.

"Well, this was certainly an interesting weekend." Kara reiterated as she opened up the fridge. "You okay with frozen pizza?"

"I'm always okay with that." Barry said with a smirk as he settled down on the couch.

He turned the TV on while Kara walked over, heating up the pizza with her heat vision. She put the pizza down in front of them a moment later and leaned into Barry.

Barry picked up a slice. "I love pizza."

"Me too," Kara smiled as she bit into hers. "And oh, Barry, I forgot in all of the excitement, but my mom is coming next week!"

Barry paled slightly. "S-she is?"

"Yeah, it's Thanksgiving week, so she's coming over for a family dinner. You're invited, of course, and you _better_ come 'cause she's dying to meet you!" Kara continued, happily oblivious to Barry's plight. She jokingly continued, "if you _don't_ come, I'll fly to your apartment and pick you up."

"I'll be here." Barry promised as he laughed. "I'm basically always here anyway."

"Good point," Kara conceded. "You should move in sometime. It'll only take like ten minutes anyway."

"Maybe," Barry said, wiping his face with a napkin. "Maybe."

"Let's watch the office!" Kara said happily, grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels.

 _Someone's in a good mood,_ Barry thought with a grin.

Despite the nervousness that he felt at meeting Kara's mom, he was still happier than he'd ever felt.

No Reverse Flash, no Zoom.

Sure, there was all the Fort Rozz business to take care of, but Barry was optimistic.

Things are _finally_ looking up, Barry thought while Kara started laughing next to him.

"Dwight is such a goof."

 **AN: Phew, and that's a wrap! Sorry it took so long to get this one out, but thanks to everyone who stayed with the story in the small interulde I took.**

 **Not much to address this chapter, I don't think. Sorry if it seems a little off or if there are small mistakes here and there, as I** _ **am**_ **still a little bit rusty from my time off. Plus, getting a beta is a hassle, so for now, I'm still riding solo.**

 **The one thing I do want to talk about is Iris and Cisco's behavior. I know you guys will be thinking that it's incredibly off, but I wrote it that way for a reason, and that reason will become clearer later on in this season.**

 **And, while I still think that Kara and Barry are moving at a pace appropriate for two people in their mid-twenties or so who just so happen to both have superpowers. However, if you still don't agree- which is totally fine- or if you have any questions, you can PM me! I hope this chapter doesn't seem like _too much_ of a far cry from the pilot given the time spent in between them, but I can assure you guys that the next chapter is going to be better- especially now since I'm back into the swing of things. **

**This chapter wasn't supposed to be super action filled. I tried to make it a little more on the fluff and humor side so the story didn't feel like it was just purely all action or purely all angst or stuff like that.**

 **That's also why this chapter is slightly smaller than the others. I didn't want to force myself to reach a certain number of words and end up making it _too_ fluffy- too much of a good thing can easily turn into a bad thing.**

 **Anyways, stay tuned for next week's episode:** _Livewire!_

' **Til next time!**

 **-Maroon**


	4. S1, E4- Livewire

**S1, E4: Livewire**

 _My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. To the outside world, I am an ordinary reporter for Catco media, but secretly, I fight any enemies of Supergirl that she can't handle to keep her safe. There a lot of aliens that escaped from Fort Rozz, an intergalactic prison- and I am the only one fast enough to stop them._

 _I am The Flash._

Barry Allen, speedster extraordinaire and prized reporter of Cat Grant stood outside Alex's apartment, dressed in nice slacks and a wool sweater. Today was the day Kara's foster mom, Eliza Danvers came to National City, and he'd be meeting her for the first time.

 _Come on Barry,_ He thought to himself with forced determination. _You've faced evil speedsters, a two ton psychic Gorilla- this is nothing!_

He knocked twice.

"This must be him right here!" He heard a voice say, before Alex opened the door, alarm written all over her face. "Barry!"

"Hey, Alex." Barry grinned, secretly wondering why she looked so concerned. Barry leaned forward and took her offered hug, but barely restrained from making a surprised noise as she all but crushed his waist.

"Where is she?" Alex whispered furiously to Barry as she pulled him close. Barry could her the alarm in her voice. "Where is Kara?"

Well, that much was to be expected. Barry vaguely remembered Kara and Alex having a heated conversation a few days ago about how Alex was afraid that Eliza would be furious that Kara had taken on the mantle of Supergirl.

Kara, of course hadn't been concerned at all. Alex, on the other hand…

"I don't know." Barry whispered back apologetically before pulling away. "Maybe at the DEO."

Alex let out a small groan before letting Barry in.

"Well, you must be Barry." A blonde woman said with a warm smile as she got up from Alex's couch to greet him. "I've heard so much about you. I'm Eliza. Kara and Alex's mother. Well, foster for Kara, but you get the point."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Danvers." Barry replied as he shook her hand. "All good things, I hope."

" _Very_ good things," Eliza assured him amusedly as they took their seats, Eliza on the couch and Barry across from her on a chair. "So, Barry, you're a reporter for Catco? How's it like working under the _illustrious_ Cat Grant?"

"Yes, I am." Barry confirmed. A small, lopsided grin formed on his lips at Eliza's thinly veiled contempt for Cat. "She's alright, I guess. I just try to do my work in a way that makes her happy, and for the most part, it works."

"He's being modest," Alex interjected as she sat down next to Eliza. "Cat is _in love_ with him. I've only heard from Kara, but Cat basically treats him like he's royalty."

"Oh, Alex." Barry laughed awkwardly as he saw Eliza's expression change to one of amazement.

He made eye contact with Alex, tilting his head downwards a bit. _Really?_ He signed, using a silent communication technique all DEO agents were required to learn. Essentially, it was a modified, more discrete version of sign language.

 _Suck it up._ She signed back, smirking at him.

"That's just-wow. I'm having trouble believing that." Eliza said, laughing. "Kara tells me she's a nightmare."

 _Welp,_ Barry thought. Although he'd gotten off to a fairly good start with Eliza, he hoped that Cat Grant of all things wouldn't be the thing to sour their relationship.

"Oh, she's not so bad." Barry said, smiling. It was time for some revenge. He turned to face Alex. "So, Alex, do you need any help starting dinner, or…"

"Kara's picking it up, actually," Alex said, smiling pleasantly at Eliza.

 _Low blow, Allen._ Alex signed at him when Eliza wasn't looking.

"Do you cook often, Barry?" Eliza asked curiously. "Well, I know for a fact that Kara can't cook, so it would make sense that one of you has to be able to."

They all shared a laugh, and there was a knock at the door with a muffled "I heard that!"

"And that must be her now." Alex said, still slightly laughing as she got up to answer it. Barry could see the relief rolling off of her in waves.

"Sorry I'm late," Kara said as she stepped through with a few bags of Chinese food. Barry instantly perked up at seeing her sunny smile as she placed the bags on the table and hugged Eliza. "I got caught up at work."

Eliza scoffed. She looked at Barry, as if this was playing a part in their previous discussion. "Work. I swear, that despicable woman _runs you into the ground_."

Kara laughed as she hugged Barry. "Well, most of us. Good ol' Bar here gets the royal treatment because of his connection with Clark."

"Oh, you know Clark?" Eliza asked slightly suspiciously. "How well do you know Clark?"

 _This reminds me of Kara when I first got here,_ Barry thought offhandedly. _I guess all the Danvers are inherently suspicious. Then again, he_ is _Superman._

"I know." Barry said simply, nodding. "About everything."

Eliza blinked. "Oh…wow. I was not expecting you to be _that_ close to Clark."

"They're basically best friends." Alex informed Eliza. "They have their own secret little handshake and everything."

"We should probably dig in." Kara cut her off as an audible rumbling noise echoed through the room.

They all laughed and began to eat. Barry was sitting next to Kara, who was happily slurping noodles, when he suddenly noticed a flash of lightning outside the window. As it briefly illuminated the room, he swore he saw a pair of red eyes looking at him from outside Alex's window.

Barry stood up abruptly. His voice slightly shaking, he said, "Uh, I'm sorry, but I have to go check on something real fast. I'll be back soon."

Kara looked at him with a worried expression. "Barry, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll, uh, I'll just be right back." Barry said, walking to the door and opening it. Not even bothering to wait until it closed, he disappeared in a flash of white lightning.

As he reached around the area where he saw the red eyes, he angrily changed into his suit. "You bothered coming back, Eobard? I'm faster now- you won't hurt me again!"

"Flash." A disembodied voice said, as a being dressed in all black appeared amidst purple lightning. It was the oddest sight. Due to the lack of visibility outside, Barry couldn't see anything but the mystery figure's eyes.

 _Purple lightning?_ Barry thought incredulously, glaring at the mystery speedster.

"Who are you?" Barry demanded, growing angrier the longer he looked at the mysterious red eyes.

"Be careful. A new villain is going to be born tomorrow. One that Supergirl won't be able to stop- but it does not have to be a villain. Look for allies in unexpected places, Flash." The being cautioned.

 _Jeez, that makes a lot of sense,_ Barry thought sarcastically despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Who are you?" Barry demanded, tensing up. "How do you know who Supergirl is? How do you know who I am?"

"That's unimportant." It reverberated in a flat tone that seemingly left no room for discussion. "Now you know."

The being disappeared in a flash of purple lightning. Not wanting to let a mystery speedster get away, Barry chased after it.

It was impossibly fast. Despite pushing the boundaries of his speed to their very limit, Barry still found himself just behind the mystery figure. He pushed himself even farther, and suddenly the being got much slower in comparison to him. States began to fly by them as Barry refused to give up, finally cornering it in the middle of the desert.

He ran up behind it pushed it to the ground, stopping in front of it. "Give up."

"You're faster than I expected," It complimented, audible tiredness weighing its voice down as it got back up to its feet. "But our time to meet has not yet arrived."

"Who are you?" Barry asked again, panting. "I'll chase you to the ends of this Earth if I have to."

"I know. That's why I must do this." It replied knowingly. Flashing forward, it grabbed Barry's leg and froze it to the ground.

"Frost breath? Are you with Astra?" Barry demanded as he vibrated through the ice, shattering it. "That trick won't work on me."

"Geez, take a hint." The being said and elevated off the ground. Instead of the flatness the being had regarded with him thus far, Barry could detect a hint of amusement in its tone. "Get back to your dinner party. I'll be in touch."

Barry watched, helpless, as the being flew away. _Why not just do that from the start?_ Barry wondered.

As the extreme physical strain caught up to him, Barry suddenly dropped to a knee. His chest felt like it'd been crushed to smithereens by a pack of rampaging horses and blood was leaking freely from his mouth.

 _Damn it…_ He thought as he picked himself up. He'd have to put in some more work with Clark after the holiday. He slowly began to run back to Alex's house, ignoring the stabbing pains in his ribs and throat from running, stopping at a bathroom for a second to make himself look presentable and less like he'd survived a mugging.

"Barry!" Kara called, running over to him as he opened the door. Relief was written all over her face. Her bright blue eyes were open wide. "Barry, what's wrong? It isn't it you t just run out like that."

"There's another speedster here," Barry said seriously, tiredly rubbing his eyes. He grabbed a soda to wash away the coppery taste of blood left over in his mouth. "It's so weird. Whoever it is was barely slower than me."

"I thought you were the fastest speedster ever?" Kara asked confusedly. She gave his face a suspicious once-over, as if she was looking for signs of deceit. "Doesn't that mean that this mystery speedster would also need to be close to that level?"

"Apparently," Barry replied, taking a seat. Alex and Kara's faces grew concerned as they heard his audible groan of pain when he sat. "It gets even weirder. They had frost breath, like you and Astra. When I cornered them, they just took off flying."

"So, let's get this straight." Alex interrupted, breathing slightly heavily. "There's someone out there who can run almost as fast as you and has Kara's powers? Well, we're screwed."

Barry laughed at Alex's admission. "Not necessarily. Whoever they were, they gave me some advice. Apparently, tomorrow, there's going to be a new villain created that Kara can't beat alone, and this mystery person wanted me to know that ahead of time."

"They're from the future?" Kara guessed, sitting next to Barry and holding his hand tenderly.

"Either that, or they're going to create the villain. But in that case, why would they even bother warning us?" Barry wondered out loud. "It just doesn't make sense."

"You know what," Alex changed the subject as Eliza walked out of the bathroom. "Why don't we listen to the radio?"

"Oh, Barry, you're back." Eliza said as she sat back down on the couch. "The girls said you had some important business to take care of."

"Yeah, uh, my apartment got flooded." Barry lied convincingly, grateful for the fact that he'd just watched dinner party episode of _The Office_ the previous night with Kara. Thank you, Jim Halpert. "I got a call from my landlord and I had to go see the damage. I'm sorry to run out like that."

"Oh, heavens no." Eliza said, holding a hand to her chest. In a concerned tone, she continued, "will you be able to find a place to stay?"

"Oh, yeah, I've got it under control." Barry replied with a reassuring smile as he got up to grab another drink. He was getting hit _hard_ with the post-run thirst. Well, he _had_ just ran through a few states. "No worries. Thank you for your concern, though."

"Well, I'm glad you returned before I left- I was just on my way out." Eliza said kindly as she stood. "Thank you all for dinner. I just can't wait to have Thanksgiving together, agh, me and my girls! My beautiful girls! And of course, you, Barry."

"I'll be looking forward to it as well." Barry replied with a smile as Eliza said her goodbyes and left.

"Hm, the only thing on right now is something called the _Leslie Willis_ show, and it's from Catco. Sorry guys, looks like you can't even escape Catco on your free time." Alex said in an apologetic tone as the radio made a static noise and then suddenly blared to life.

"This is Leslie Willis, coming to you alive and wired from Catco Plaza. The week of Thanksgiving, which means... it is time for my annual list of Things I Am Not Grateful For, and this year's list is only one item: Supergirl."

"Well Kara, looks like not everyone loves you." Alex said with a laugh. "I mean, I don't see how they couldn't, considering you save the city every other day, but…"

"Maybe we should go…" Kara began as she stood up.

"The blue-and-red abscessed tooth in the otherwise gleaming smile that is National City! How much do I despise, I mean loathe, her whole, 'Look at me, I'm a-dork-able' thing. And that hideous, like, rejected-from-the-Olympics figure skating outfit she wears?" The radio continued.

Alex snorted. "I mean, I always thought blue was your color."

"Me too." Kara said with a frown. "You know what, I don't even care. I'm just going to tune her out. Barryyyyy, let's go."

"I mean, a skirt and tights? Puh-lease. Seems like overkill, especially since no one is trying to get in there. And who would that be? You know, who's hombre enough to puncture the Chastity Belt of Steel?" Barry started choking on his drink, and ended up laughing so hard that some water came running down his nose.

"Barry!" Kara said indignantly as he began laughing even harder.

"Or is what's required a softer touch? I mean, she does kind of give off a Sapphic vibe, with that big ol' butch 'S' chest plate. I mean, how would that even work with an alien? I mean, is everything the same down there, or are we talking tentacles? Maybe it's time for a break. Or a makeover."

Barry, at this point, was laughing so hard tears were rolling down his face. He dropped to his knees and kept laughing silently. There was no longer any sound coming from him except wheezes and gasps. Alex wasn't faring much better.

"Barry Allen, if you don't stop laughing right now!" Kara threatened, walking towards Barry. Her bright blue eyes were narrowed dangerously. "I swear, I'll freeze you to this ground!"

"S-sorry, Kara," Barry wheezed between heaving breaths, a large grin on his face.

"Humph." Kara said, crossing her arms. She bent low, right next to his ear. "You can take the couch tonight, honey."

"Oh, come on, Kara." Barry said, his mood turning a complete 180. "You know I was joking."

"Uh huh," Kara said disbelievingly. She pulled him up. "Me and my chastity belt of steel are gonna hog all the sheets."

"Punishment fits the crime." Alex said with a laugh as they left.

* * *

The next morning, Barry woke up to Kara disapprovingly shaking her head. "Tsk, tsk, Barry Allen. Work is in 8 minutes and you aren't even up."

"Yeah," Barry said as he sat up and stretched out the various kinks in his back. "I didn't have my Kryptonian alarm clock to wake me up."

"Mm, maybe if you're good today you can come back to bed." Kara taunted, going into the kitchen to pack her lunch for the day.

"I'll be on my best behavior, sweetie," Barry promised as he activated his speed and zipped through his morning routine. A few moments later, Barry appeared next to Kara, dressed in a shirt and slacks with his hair combed and his teeth sparkling.

"I'm still _so_ jealous you can do that," Kara whined, tossing him an apple to put in his lunch box.

"Babe, you can fly, and are indestructible. Not to mention all your other powers." Barry shot back. "I don't want to hear it."

Kara stuck her tongue out at him as they both began to walk to work. A few minutes later, they stepped out of the elevator and walked over to Kara's desk, where they began to talk a bit about their plans for the day.

"Ah, Barry!" Cat said as she stepped out of her office after seeing him walk out of the elevator. "Please, into my office."

"Of course, Ms. Grant." Barry said as Cat walked away. "See you later?"

"Bet on it, Bar. Love you." Kara said as she gave him a quick kiss.

"Love you too." Barry said with a grin as he walked away.

"Blech," Winn exaggerated from next to Kara's desk. "It's like watching a sappy romance movie."

"Oh, shush. We have to get you a girlfriend." Kara laughed, organizing the papers on her desk, barely holding in a snort at the bolded title of the newspaper on her desk that read: **THE FLASH: FRIEND OR FOE?**

"Yeah, right," Winn scoffed. "So I can act all mopey like you and Barry? No thanks. He does write one hell of an article, though."

Kara made a humming noise as she sat down. "Oh! Winn! So, have you figured out what you're doing for Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah, uh, orphan Thanksgiving. Literally, Thai food and Orphan Black marathon." Winn replied, swiveling his chair around to be face to face with Kara.

"Alone?" Kara questioned. "What about your family?"

"Core wound, Kara." Winn replied, holding a hand to his chest.

"Friends?" Kara continued, but spluttered when Winn looked away. "Winn!"

"What?" He asked, noting the look on her face. "W-oh, no! No, no, no!"

"Yes!" Kara insisted. She crossed her arms. "Winn, you're coming over for Thanksgiving and that's final. No if ands or buts about it!"

Winn grinned. "Barry's making you a lot more assertive. I'll be there."

"Good," Kara said, looking over into Cat's office to see her superhuman boyfriend. "What the- why is Leslie Willis in Cat's office?"

"Uh, Kara," Winn interrupted. He looked at her with an expression that clearly meant _seriously?_ "Super hearing."

"Right." Kara remembered, focusing in on the conversation.

"Mm, damn baby. Got a girl?" Kara heard Leslie say. Kara accidentally grabbed the handle of her desk, snapping it cleanly off.

"What are you doing?" Winn whispered furiously, looking around frantically. "Someone could've seen!"

While Kara knew that Barry wouldn't dare flirt with another girl and that he loved her, Kara still got a little jealous at times.

The last time a girl had openly flirted with Barry, he'd had to stop Kara from "accidentally" freezing the girl's car's tires to the ground.

"Yep. I do." Barry replied coolly.

"I don't see her." Leslie continued in an obviously seductive tone. "I bet she's nothing compared to me."

Cat interrupted the little byplay with a clearing of her throat. "Well, Leslie, since you've _obviously_ seen to making your acquaintance with him, this is Barry Allen- top reporter. Barry, this is Leslie. She has a cute little talk show."

"Charmed." Barry said, inclining his head. Kara bit back a smile at his frosty treatment of Leslie, as he probably knew she was listening in.

As Kara thought about how much she loved Barry, the meeting took a turn.

"Right, well, let's get straight to it." Cat continued, sitting down behind her desk and pouring herself some brandy. "I caught your broadcast yesterday. I _clearly_ warned you about going after Supergirl."

"Brandy this early?" Leslie scoffed, kicking her legs up. "You're a crazier bitch than I thought. Plus, you're always warning me about something. That's our dynamic. You tell me I'm crossing a line. A week later, there's a new line to cross."

"Right," Barry chipped in, flashing Leslie a smile. "Because that's what lines are for. Crossing. I love the logic."

Cat smiled and rolled her eyes, taking a sip out of her glass. "Precisely, Barry. Leslie, I discovered you in that shoebox of a radio station. I mentored you to the best of my abilities. And for the most part, I am proud of that. But going after a young girl, insulting her body, how she dresses, her sexuality..."

"Lack thereof," Leslie butted in rudely. She scoffed at Cat. "And the last time I checked, as long as I delivered you certain ratings, you didn't care what sacred cows I went after. So why is she different?"

"I _named_ her, Leslie." Cat stressed, gripping the glass of brandy tightly. With a touch of urgency in her voice, she continued, "I am doing everything I can to cultivate a relationship between Supergirl and Catco. If I could legally adopt her, I would."

Barry repressed a shudder, imagining if Cat was Kara's mother. Now _that_ was an Earth he had no desire to visit. Shaking his head slightly, he tuned back in to the verbal tennis match unfolding in front of him.

"I read your article, Cat." Leslie spat, standing up. "You're just as hard on her as I am!"

"Mmm, my article." Barry lazily raised his hand. He met Leslie's bitter stare unflinchingly. "Supergirl is a hero, Leslie. It's our job to be hard on her- because we know she'll rise above it and save the day. I'm not hard on her because I dislike her, it's quite the opposite actually. Constructive criticism, if you will."

"Furthermore, Supergirl is off the table. Effective immediately." Cat finished, taking a long sip. Despite his thoughts on Cat, Barry had to give her props- the woman really knew how to punctuate a sentence.

"So, you're dictating my content now?" Leslie said, scoffing.

"Yes. Supergirl is changing the conversation of National City." Cat shot back. "People don't want your brand of negativity anymore, Leslie."

"They want optimism. Hope. Positivity." Barry listed off. He shrugged. "Plus, why listen to a radio show when you can step outside and watch a woman fly by you? Or watch her stop a car or put out a fire with her breath?"

Cat nodded, looking extremely pleased that she let Barry sit through the meeting. Her gaze was actually sort of unnerving to Barry, who was vaguely reminded of the way Grodd treated Wells- or Eobard, rather. "Exactly. Regardless, you're finished, Leslie."

"I-I have two years left on my contract." Leslie stammered in a last ditch effort to gain some traction. "You are too proud, and you're too cheap to buy me out. I know that."

"True," Cat said, downing the last of the brandy. "Which is why you're going to be transferred to traffic chopper, effective immediately. You'll be National City's highest paid traffic reporter."

"You do this, you'll regret it." Leslie threatened feebly, but it was clear to everyone in the room that Cat held all the cards.

And your 2019 Wimbledon winner in the Women Division, from National City, is…

"Rush hour starts at 4:30. If you're not in the CatCopter when it goes up, you'll be hearing from my lawyer." Thunder rumbled across the sky, and a crack of lightning illuminated the room briefly. Cat cocked her head to the side. "Oh, and you better take some Dramamine, it looks like it's going to be a bumpy ride."

…Cat Grant!

Leslie stood up angrily. "Screw you and your precious report, Cat. You'll regret this." She said, storming out of the door.

"Jeez," Kara said lightly to Barry as he walked out of the office.

"Jeez just about sums it up," Barry agreed, watching Leslie leave the office through narrowed eyes. "I can't wait to just take it easy today…"

"Mm, nice try, baby. You have a meeting with the editors in fifteen." Kara laughed as Barry's shoulders slouched.

"I'll see you at lunch." He said in an exaggeratedly desolate tone. "Oh, curse my wretched writing skill!"

"Mm, see you then." Kara said with an uncharacteristic giggle as Barry walked away to his office to prepare.

"Kara, did you just"-

"Winn, I will _literally_ toss you off of this building if you mention that to toss you off of this building if you mention that to _anyone_." Kara threatened, embarrassed at the fact that Barry made her giggle.

"Okay. I figured it out." Alex said as she walked through the door to Kara's apartment. "Mom is furious that you've come out, but she's pretending that she isn't."

"Have you considered that maybe Eliza isn't mad?" Barry commented as he placed a plate on the table. "It's not like you guys are kids anymore, you know? You're kick-ass adults who can take care of yourselves."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, but no, Barry. This is why we have this Pre-Thanksgiving dinner- to prepare!" Alex said as she sat down at the table. She reached into her purse and pulled out a bottle of wine. "I got you guys some wine."

"Mmm, for us or for you?" Kara joked as she settled down between them both. Her bright blue eyes gazed into Alex's. "Tell her who you really are. What you really do."

"Ha, good one," Alex scoffed, but looked at Kara confusedly when she saw her serious expression. "Okay, wait. You want me to tell her that I'm a DEO agent? No way. I can't. _Officially_ , we don't exist."

"Look, if she is mad at you 'cause she thinks that you're not looking after me, then tell her the truth." Kara stressed, taking some salad from the plate in the middle of the table. "That your entire career, everything you've ever done in your life, it's all been to protect me. You've got to give her a chance."

"Kara, I want to, I do, but you _know_ how she gets. Last year, she got mad at me for _you_ not dating enough. If she found out I work in a secret government branch that monitors aliens, she'd flip." Alex shot back desperately. "Plus, my job technically isn't looking after you."

"But you have more fun when it is!" Kara interjected, causing the table to laugh.

"Right, who knows where we'd all be without your daily alien hunting. We might even get work done at Catco." Barry replied dryly.

Kara kicked him under the table, causing a sick _crack_ to echo through the room.

"Ow!" Barry yelped, his hand going to his shin.

"Oh, you'll be fine, you big baby." Kara smiled deviously. "I know I'm thankful for your accelerated healing, wouldn't you agree Bar?"

"Uh huh. Anyways, Alex?" Barry continued in a tight voice. Man, that girl could kick. If there were _ever_ a Catco kickball game, Barry prayed Kara was on his team.

"So, here's the plan for tomorrow…" Alex began.

Meanwhile, halfway across the city, Leslie Willis was not having a great night. Scratch that, she was having the most miserable, annoying, and hateful night of her life.

"Fucking reporter. Fucking Cat." Leslie mumbled to herself as she peered out of the side of the Cat-Copter.

Not that it was easy. The "Cat-Copter" was being thrown around in a brewing storm, unconsciously mimicking the ball at the end of a paddleball.

"It's too much. I'm taking her back in." The pilot yelled over the downpour currently plaguing National City. A crack of lightning grazed the helicopter, and there was a loud beeping noise on the pilot's panel as a red light started flashing. "The right propeller is fried. There's fuel pouring out."

"The hell you are!" Leslie yelled at him. She let out a noise of frustration as she peered out of the side of the helicopter. "Cat Lady wants me to cover traffic, we're covering traffic. Worst case scenario, we stop on a building and get out."

At the moment she said that, a monstrous bolt of red lighting engulfed the helicopter, instantly vaporizing it. The pilot yelled in agony as he was reduced to nothingness- but not Leslie. Leslie yelled in pain and horror but remained the same, crashing into the side of a building.

She shattered the glass, and slammed into a desk. She rolled off of the desk with a small groan and a thud.

A frazzled security guard ran over to her and helped her up. "Miss, you okay?"

Leslie sat up, red lightning running through her eyes. A deadly smirked formed on her face as she looked at her hands. "Oh, I'm better than okay."

* * *

The next day, Barry, Kara, Eliza, Alex, and Winn gathered at Kara's apartment to celebrate Thanksgiving together, blissfully unaware of what transpired with Leslie.

"Kara," Eliza said from the kitchen as Kara set plates on the table. "Would you mind giving it five seconds or so?"

"Mmm, sure." Kara replied as she activated her heat vision, perfectly cooking the turkey.

"Well, at least she comes in handy in some aspect of cooking." Barry laughed. Kara nudged him as she walked by and nodded towards the couch. "Dang it…"

"I have to admit, I was worried the first time she did it," Eliza smiled as she placed the turkey on the table. "What if we were all eating radioactive turkey?"

As everyone laughed, Kara and Eliza took their seats. Barry smiled softly as he looked around the room and took in everyone's peaceful and content faces. Well, until he looked next to him.

Barry looked at Alex, who looked anything but happy. There were bags under her eyes, and she'd already poured and drank a whole glass of wine. Barry whispered, "Let's get some food in you."

"Yeah. Everything looks great." Alex said flatly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as Barry looked at her oddly. He could tell something was up with her.

"What happened?" He whispered to her.

"After I left our dinner, Eliza came to my apartment and chewed me out. I was right all along…she _is_ mad." Alex whispered back, her eyes glinting. "And you both still want me to tell her? Are you insane?"

Barry sighed. He looked at Alex expectantly. "I know how hard it can be hiding secrets. But trust me, Alex, you'll feel better after it's done. Not to mention, she already chewed you out once, so why not just tell her and do it all at once. You know, rip it off like a bandage."

"Ahem." Eliza said, standing up. Both Barry and Alex turned to face her. "So, before we eat, I thought it would be nice if we went around and shared what we were grateful for, or any other feelings that we might want to share with family and friends, so let's share. After all, that's what Thanksgiving is all about."

"Oh, uh, I can go first." Kara volunteered. "I'm grateful for everyone here. My best friend in the entire world, my boyfriend who somehow is almost late to work despite being the fastest man alive, my sister who's always had my back, and the woman who always treated me like a daughter."

"Aw, thank you sweetie," Eliza said confusedly. She raised a hand for a moment. "Just one thing. What was that about Barry being the fastest man alive?"

Kara's eyes widened as she turned around and looked at Barry. Alarm was written all over her face. "Oh, uh, well, you see,"

As he was about to laugh off Kara's remark as some joke about his love for running, Barry thought about Alex. If he dropped the ball on his powers, maybe, just maybe, it would allow Alex to come clean without being worried about Eliza.

"I'm the Flash." Barry admitted, causing a wave of panic to spread across the table. "That was originally how I met Clark."

Eliza's jaw dropped slightly. Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "So-wait, you…you…"

"I run incredibly fast." Barry laughed awkwardly. He leaned back into his chair. "I-uh, I'm not even from this Earth. There was an accident on the Earth I was originally on, and it transported me to this Earth, where I met Clark."

"W-what?" Eliza asked, absolutely mystified. "How come you weren't targeted by the government or something?"

Barry looked at Alex expectantly.

"Mom, I need to tell you something." Alex cleared her throat. She looked at her mother hopefully. "When I was at Stanford, I was doing research in genetic engineering. And my work and connection to Kara, it came under scrutiny. And I was recruited by the government. I'm not just a doctor. I'm an operative for an organization called the DEO. We monitor alien life here on Earth. I work in the field with Kara. I was the one who originally got Barry on board."

"I would be happy to carve this, Eliza." Winn said awkwardly as Eliza's face flushed. "Where is that pesky, ah, here it is."

"Are you out of your mind?" Eliza yelled.

"Oh, here we go…" Alex growled under her breath.

"How could you do this, Alex?" Eliza continued, gazing disapprovingly at Alex. "How could you do this to me?"

"Do _what?_ " Alex fired back, her eyes tearing up. "Devote my entire life to watching over Kara? Well, I don't know, maybe it's because it's what you've told me to do since I was 14 years old."

"You lied to me for years. Unbelievable." Eliza harrumphed.

"D-does anybody want green beans?" Winn butted in awkwardly. "What about you, Bar? You seem like a green bean kind of guy. Real green bean enthusiast."

"You lied to me _for years!"_ Eliza continued, shaking her head angrily.

"Are you kidding me?" Alex cried. "Barry just told you he's from another _Earth_ and that's what you got from this whole thing- that I lied to you? So, Kara risks her life to protect other people, and she is a hero. And yet, I do the same, and I'm in trouble? That... is perfect."

"Kara is _invincible_! Barry can run fast enough to cross into other worlds!" Eliza screamed, throwing her napkin on the table. "You, _Alexandra,_ can _not_ do those things! You're human just like me. You don't have a special power!"

"She called her Alexandra…" Kara mumbled to Barry. "This is heating up."

"I will never win with you." Alex scoffed, standing up. "I may be thankful for a lot this year, but I _know_ I'm _not_ thankful for you."

"Alexandra Marie you will sit down this instant!" Eliza yelled. Before anyone else could say something, the door busted open.

A flash of red lightning illuminated the room, and Leslie was suddenly on the table, glaring at Barry. "You're that guy Cat was fawning over. Me and you, we're going for a ride."

"Like h"-Kara was cut off as Leslie zoomed forward and smashed her fist into Kara's face, sending her sprawling across the rug.

Alex pulled out her gun, but Leslie smirked, removing the clip and punching her in the face, knocking her out.

"Come catch me." Barry grinned as he disappeared in a flash of white lightning. Leslie followed shortly after in a blur of red.

"So…dessert anyone?" Winn asked as Eliza's jaw dropped in shock. "No? Well, ice cream sandwiches, come to poppa. Mmmm…."

Despite her newfound powers, Leslie was still leagues beneath Barry. She panted as she tried to close the gap between them, but could still only barely make out the tail end of Barry's lightning trail.

She chased him all the way to the outskirts of the city, when suddenly, she heard a crack and was thrown off of her feet by an arc of lightning.

She sat up a few moments later with her mouth tasting like burnt tinfoil. Leslie suddenly snapped to her feet, and went to punch Barry, but he weaved past the punch and grabbed her fist.

"Your fist seems heavier." Barry noted, lifting it up to examine it. His eyes widened in understanding. "That must be how your punch was so strong. Interesting."

"What's interesting?" Leslie spat. She tried to struggle out of Barry's grip but failed miserably as Barry made a _tsk_ noise. He leaned back and floored her, dropping her to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Leslie groaned in pain. Her vision was swimming, and Barry's punch had rocked her entire body.

"Your hand. I could feel a slight vibration from it, as if the molecules were phasing. You must've unconsciously been doing that, which is why your punch knocked Alex out. It makes your hand as hard as steel." Barry explained, looking down at her. "That's a trick I never even thought about using."

"H-how…" Leslie stammered as Barry zoomed away and came back with a pair of handcuffs.

"You and I are speedsters." Barry said plainly, holding up a vibrating hand for effect. "Let me guess, giant bolt of lightning hit, some sort of chemical was involved- oh, and it hurt. A lot."

"Y-yeah," Leslie muttered, rubbing her head. "How did you know that?"

"The same thing happened to me a few years ago. I was in a coma for nine months." Barry said, crouching in front of her. "I've been at this a while, Leslie. I have half a mind to knock you out and throw you into a rift for hitting Kara."

"P-please don't." Leslie begged, shakily standing up. Barry could see the obvious pain she was in just standing. "Look, I was just gonna take you somewhere and get Cat Lady to pay me a shit ton of money. I wasn't trying to hurt someone too bad, let alone kill them- I swear!"

Barry looked at her. He dangled his handcuffs in front of her. "These are special handcuffs. They have plasma running through them, which means that little vibrating trick we do won't do a thing. They take away our powers."

Leslie inched away from him. "P-please, Barry. I know I made some mistakes, but I'm gonna try and be better. Please."

Barry went to put the handcuffs on Leslie, but paused. He thought back to the encounter from a few nights ago.

 _Look for allies in unexpected places._

"Leslie…I have a deal for you." Barry said tentatively. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "And you can't screw me over on this. You've seen what I can do. I could go back in time and make your childhood hell. I could erase you from existence. I could stick my hand and you and crush your heart. You _won't_ screw me over on this."

"O-okay…" Leslie whimpered, and Barry wondered if he'd taken the intimidation a step too far. It wasn't that he particularly _liked_ saying these kinds of things- it was quite the opposite actually. Barry just realized that with the knowledge Leslie had, she could be incredibly dangerous if she turned on him, and he wanted to cover his bases.

Taking a deep breath, Barry offered Leslie a shaky smile. "Look, Leslie. I don't really have anything against I don't really have anything against _you_ specifically. Other speedsters, like me and you, haven't been nice to me. Plus, with the power we have, we can do things you wouldn't believe. It doesn't hurt to be careful."

"I understand," Leslie said solemnly as Barry walked over to her and helped her up. "What's the deal?"

"Use your powers to help protect the city." Barry suggested to her. "I'm assuming you've been able to guess I'm the Flash. I want you to help me help everyone. I'll train you, get you a suit. Cool nickname. The whole shebang."

"I-I'm not sure I'm cut out for that big ol 'put on a suit and save the day' gig, Barry. You heard what I said about Superg- wait, you know who Supergirl is!" Leslie said, realization dawning on her face. "This whole time…"

"Heh, yeah," Barry laughed awkwardly. "And Leslie, give yourself some credit. While I don't agree with your methods per se, you _were_ just trying to entertain people, make them happy. Come on. We both know this is better than prison. Especially after knowing you have this wonderful gift."

Leslie bit her lip. "I'm in."

Barry ran them both back to Kara's apartment, where she was immediately greeted to the sight of a furious Kryptonian and Alex holding her gun to her face.

"Girls, let's settle down." Barry said, seeing as how he'd already decimated Leslie and she probably wasn't capable of doing anything dangerous at the moment.

"Bar, ten seconds before I toss Leslie into space and watch her freeze!" Kara screamed, jumping towards her.

"Yeah…Kara gets cranky when you take her food from her." Barry mumbled to Leslie, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Kara's waist. "Shhh, that's enough Kara, I took care of her."

"I was _going to eat!"_ Kara yelled, still lunging for Leslie. "And you punched me in the face! Who does that?"

"You're not gonna ask about my speed?" Leslie gaped as she stumbled. Barry let go of Kara and wrapped an arm around Leslie, keeping her from falling. "I-isn't that _weird_ to you?"

"What's _weird_ to me is that you attacked my boyfriend and tried to kidnap him." Kara replied venomously.

"Anyways," Barry butted in before anyone could say anything. "Leslie is a speedster, like me. She's agreed to be trained by me and help the DEO take down other…uh…baddies, let's say."

Silence reigned. Alex stared at Barry dumbfounded. "You-she"-

"Let's get this straight," Winn interrupted. "This chick threatened your boss, punched your girlfriend and pseudo-sister in the face, tried to _kidnap_ you, and worst of all, interrupted dinner. After all of that, you want to make her one of the good guys?"

"Yep. She's a speedster. While she's not as fast as me, she's pretty fast. I'm thinking about making her my apprentice, teaching her about the Speed Force, help her help us." Barry continued awkwardly, although in his head he was crying.

 _Me and that couch are going to get very intimate,_ Barry thought to himself morosely.

"Bartholomew Henry Allen, don't even think about coming in our room!" Kara yelled at him. "You and that couch are going to be best buds from now on!"

"That is _enough!_ " Eliza yelled, getting up. Everyone in the room turned to look at her. "All of you, _sit down!_ "

Barry sat down in his original seat next to Kara, and Leslie sat across the table from him.

"Stop bickering like a bunch of children at the playground!" Eliza continued, glaring at them. "First of all, how could you two threaten this poor girl like that?"

"But"-

"Mom"-

"Zip it." Eliza said, shooting Alex and Kara a look that said _try me._ "Barry came in here, holding her steady. Her shirt is charred, and there's a giant purple bruise on her cheek. He obviously did a number on her. There was no need to threaten her."

Winn laughed for a moment, and Eliza turned her fury on him. "Well, I mean"-

"I'm sorry Winn, were you interrupting?" Eliza asked sweetly, though her eyes betrayed her true fury.

"Uh, no." He gulped nervously. Man, this woman was scarier than Barry! "C-carry on, Mrs. Danvers."

"Barry, while I have not known you long, I'm not sure if this is the best course of action, anyways. How do you know you can trust her?" Eliza asked curiously.

"I'm much faster than she is. If push were to come to shove, I could erase her from existence." Barry replied. Seeing Leslie's scared expression, he continued, "not that I will. It's clear to me that Leslie didn't mean to truly harm anyone, she just meant to get back at Cat for shutting down her show. Plus, you can never have too much help."

Eliza nodded at Barry. "Ok, good. Now see? Wasn't that _much more_ productive than yelling at each other?"

"Yes, Ms. Danvers." Winn, Barry, and surprisingly even Leslie said.

"Yeah, mom." Kara muttered grudgingly.

"Pfft. Fine. You win." Alex relented, secretly happy to see her mother smile at her.

"Now, Barry, run Leslie back to her home." Eliza suggested kindly, beaming at Leslie. "After all, Thanksgiving _is_ a time for family."

"Oh, I, uh, I don't really have anyone to go home to." Leslie admitted awkwardly, her attempt at a smile turning into a grimace due to her bruise. "You can just drop me off at my apartment."

"No!" Kara interjected loudly. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Well, uh, what I mean is that you should stay. Eat with us. This is no time to be alone, and if you're going to be joining our team anyway, then maybe you should start getting to know us, right?"

Eliza gave Kara a warm smile while Leslie's jaw dropped. "I- you know what? Sure. Thank you… Kara."

Barry smiled at the interaction. He looked outside the window for a brief moment, and saw the figure from the a few days ago outside.

The figure, now vibrating like the Reverse Flash, nodded at him.

Barry, having no desire to chase after a mystery being while he had family around him, raised his glass to the figure, who shot up into the air a few moments after.

 **AN: Hello all. A lot has happened since my last update so this author's note will have to be a little bit longer than usual. So, if you have no desire to read this, please skip.**

 **First, I wanted to address the duration of the last chapter. A reviewer mentioned that it was kind of unclear, so I wanted to say that the previous episode does in fact span over the course of an entire weekend, even though it may read like a day.**

 **Also side note, I'm loving the way this new Flash season is shaping up. I'm super excited for the episode this week, even if I do wish that they made Barry a little more powerful. I get the whole "team" aspect of the show, but come on, CW. I want to see him get some action too.**

 **Second, yes, that was a Stan Lee cameo. Since the last update, Stan Lee has unfortunately passed away. It made me incredibly sad that someone who had given me so much joy and actually been the one to get me into the superhero genre in the first place. It's very fair to say that if it weren't for Stan, this story would have not existed at all. For that reason, I'm going to be giving him cameos in this story for time to time. Hope that isn't a problem to you all.**

 **Next up, I wanted to apologize for the longer wait for this chapter. As you know, it was Thanksgiving, so I had been spending the whole week with my family. If you celebrate, I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving with your family. If you do not, I hope all is well.**

 **Now, onto the actual content of this chapter.**

 **Sorry if the writing seems a little…off. For some reason, I just couldn't think of the right direction to take this chapter, so I rewrote it a couple of times before deciding that this was the best version of it.**

 **I hope you guys have a bunch of nice theories about who this mystery figure is. I'd love to hear them.**

 **Also, hope you guys enjoyed my decision to make Leslie a speedster. More about that will be revealed in the next episode.**

 **Also, yes, this chapter is shorter than my usually ones but for some reason I didn't think that making it any longer was needed. In the amount that I wrote, I felt fairly certain that I got everything. Anyways, next week's will probably be closer to my usual 9-10k.**

 **'Til next time.**

 **-Maroon**


	5. S1, E5- How Does She Do It?

**S1, E5: How Does She Do It?**

 _My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. To the outside world, I am an ordinary reporter for Catco media, but secretly, I fight any enemies of Supergirl that she can't handle to keep her safe. There a lot of aliens that escaped from Fort Rozz, an intergalactic prison- and I am the only one fast enough to stop them._

 _I am The Flash!_

It was Thursday night. For normal people, that meant a night in with some good food and TV, preparing themselves for school or work in the morning. Maybe a trip to the gym or the supermarket, but nothing too strenuous or crazy.

Barry Allen was not most people.

"Come on, Barry!" Clark yelled.

Currently, Barry was doing pull-ups with Clark beside him, offering advice and praise when appropriate and yelling at him when he deemed necessary.

These weren't your normal pull-ups. In an attempt to help Barry gain more muscle and build up his strength, Clark had taken the liberty of attaching two fifty pound weights around Barry's thighs.

"No pain, no gain, Allen." Clark continued, his eyes following Barry's form. "That's fifty. Give me fifty more!"

"I _fucking_ hate you," Barry gasped between pull-ups, causing Clark to chuckle.

"Now since that Leslie chick is a speedster, I can work you even harder than before, since we don't have to worry about you being too sore to help out." Clark said pleasantly as Barry continued his pull-ups. "What's she going by now?"

"Spitfire," Barry grunted, heaving with every movement. "Winn made her a suit and everything."

The road to redemption for Leslie had been decidedly easy. A few choice words from Barry and a spirited performance of regret and sorrow (Leslie sobbed to Cat) secured her a job at Catco as one of the media analysts.

A quick display of her powers dazzled Winn into making her a suit, and a shakedown from Hank brought her onboard with the DEO.

 _It was almost too easy…_ Barry thought to himself as he hopped down from the ledge, sweating profusely as he removed the weights.

"Nice job," Clark grinned at him, his smile only growing wider at Barry's glare. "How long 'till you have to go back?"

Barry yawned a bit as he checked his phone. "There's a robbery on 12th Street, but looks like Leslie and Kara have it under control. I could probably hang around for a bit. Why?"

"Let's get some food or something." Clark suggested, grabbing his keys. "Metropolis has some _great_ pizza places."

"I'm down." Barry grinned. "Pizza's like my Kryptonite."

"I thought that was Kara?" Clark said jokingly as the left his apartment.

"Well, depends on who's asking," Barry said with a touch of seriousness. He shuddered involuntarily as he thought about what would happen if Kara caught wind of this.

 _The couch…_ Barry thought with distaste. _That_ couch was the very bane of his existence, and Kara took every opportunity she could to send him there.

It was interesting, almost. Before he and Kara started dating, Kara was meek, shy. Unsure of herself. Now, even if she was still deterred by Cat at times, Kara didn't stand down to anyone else. The amount of times Barry had slept on the couch in the past month alone spoke to that.

"You driving?" Barry asked, snapping out of his stupor as Clark stopped walking in front of a black BMW.

"Gotta splurge once in a while." Clark said, his cheeks reddening. He shrugged. "Plus, not all of us can tell our girlfriends about our superpowers."

"Mm, more than that happened." Barry said, chuckling knowingly. He got in the car. "It's not like you to buy a car out of nowhere. Heck, I didn't even know that you had a license."

Clark smiled, embarrassed. "My boss told me in not so nice words that I had to invest in myself more."

Barry laughed at Clark's expression. "Uh, _yeah_ , dude. You're like, a celeb- scratch that, you _are_ a celebrity in this city."

The engine roared to life. Barry let out a low whistle as Clark revved the engine. "Think you can handle this speed, Allen?"

"Try me, Clarky." Barry taunted. Clark chuckled as he pulled out of the parking spot and tore down the street.

"Still can't believe it's almost been four months since you got here," Clark recalled fondly as they stopped at a red light. He turned to look at Barry, a smile creeping on his face. "Things sure have changed with you around."

"For the better, I hope," Barry replied in a mirthful tone.

"Eh," Clark said with a smirk as Barry nudged him playfully.

"What's this place called, anyway?" Barry asked, an audible growl coming from his stomach.

" _Bercellis,_ " Clark replied in a horrible Italian accent. "The-a pizza is so good-a! Mwah!"

"Whatever you say, Mario." Barry laughed as Clark pulled into the parking lot. They both got out of the car, and Barry made a noise of acknowledgement as he registered the giant neon _Bercellis_ sign along with a gigantic cartoon man holding a pizza.

"Since 1790?" Barry read on the door as the super powered duo made their way inside. "Somehow, for some reason, I doubt that."

Clark shook his head knowingly. "Just you wait, Barry. You'll be blown away- ah yes, could I get a table for two?" Clark switched mid-sentence as a pretty hostess walked over to them.

"Yeah, sure," She said, grabbing two menus and ushering them through a door. Barry noticed her stare linger on him for a moment before she followed.

 _Oh, okay,_ Barry thought to himself, caught off guard by the sheer amount of famous people in the room. While Barry wasn't a huge movie-goer, he still found himself recognizing a great deal of celebrities sitting at the bar, and an even greater amount of them milling around, playing pool or darts and whatnot.

"Yeah, this is _the_ place to be on any night." Clark said amusedly, obviously taking delight in Barry's surprise.

Clark and Barry got a table near the windows that faced outwards towards the city, giving them a dazzling view of Metropolis at night.

The woman gave them both their menus. She smiled at Barry. "I know this is probably kind of weird, but I just wanted to say that I'm a huge fan of your work."

Barry returned her smile with one of his own. "Honestly, it's fine. I've never been identified in public like that, so that's definitely a milestone for me."

The woman laughed, pulling out a notepad. "Now then, Barry Allen, Clark Kent, can I start you two off with some drinks?"

"We'll both get the root beer." Clark said, smiling. It was a scarcely known fact that both Clark and Barry were _huge_ fans of root beer. _Bargs, IBC-_ you name it, they drank it.

On the flip side, Kara's evening was going nowhere near that relaxing.

"Spitfire!" She yelled into her earpiece as she blasted past buildings. "Do you have them?"

"En route right now, girly!" Leslie yelled back, and Kara saw the telltale red lightning streak down from under her.

 _Oh, thank god,_ she thought to herself with barely contained relief as she flew down to intercept the getaway car.

"Where the hell is Barry?" She asked. Barry was _technically_ taking more of an adviser role like he'd first wanted when he arrived on this Earth, but Kara was not having a good day. Barry could catch these criminals and drop them off in jail, all tied up, in the amount of time it took her to say "Flash"- and she needed that at the moment.

"Err," Winn said slightly hesitantly.

Kara rolled her eyes as his hesitance. "Spit it out, Winn. I'm not in the mood right now."

If she was being frank, Kara had no idea how Barry had the patience to train Leslie. She rarely listened, wasn't good at learning from mistakes, _and_ somehow still overshot destinations by a block. These robbers almost got away because of her! Kara growled lightly to herself- _where was Barry!_

"Well he texted me, like, ten minutes ago." Winn continued in his hesitant tone. "He said, 'Gonna be late. Clarky and I are hitting up some pizza place.' and then sent me a picture of him and Clark eating pizza."

Kara's eyes widened in anger. "That man! Oh, he's getting it tonight- _pizza?_ He leaves me with the rookie so he can get _pizza?_ "

"Hey, hey, it's _Bercellis_." Winn defended weakly, chuckling. "Pizza there is to die for!"

"He will." Kara promised as she touched down. Leslie had already tied up all of the robbers and left the curbside, where she was waiting for Kara.

"Good work," Kara complimented, pleasantly surprised at the efficiency Leslie displayed. "I'm impressed."

"Heh, I've been picking up a trick or two from _Flash_." Leslie grinned. Rather than have a cowl, she had a simple mask that covered her eyes, and her suit was glinting red with a white lightning bolt running down the middle. "Time to head back?"

"Yeah," Kara said, rubbing her head half-heartedly as she felt the early stages of a headache coming on. "You can head home, I think. Apparently, _Flash_ was held up eating pizza, so, nothing to worry about."

Leslie chuckled, but stopped rather abruptly when she saw the glare on Kara's face. "Sounds good. See ya." She disappeared in a blur of red.

A few minutes later, Kara flew back to her apartment. Her eyes narrowed as she heard a _whoosh_ and Barry was standing next to her, a lopsided grin on his face. "Hey, Danvers."

She raised an eyebrow, before socking Barry in the stomach. "Don't _Danvers_ me, Mr. Allen. I'm mad at you."

"M-mad?" Barry stammered, getting up slowly. Realization dawned in his eyes as Kara unlocked the door and they both walked inside. "Ah, well, he did invite me. I couldn't say no to such a polite invitation."

"Yeah, okay," Kara shot back sarcastically. She began to take her suit off and Barry instinctively turned around. "Leave me with the rookie while you and Clark go out for a bite. Glad I know which Kryptonian matters more to you."

"Mmmm, okay," Barry relented. Arguing with Kara when she was in an annoyed mood was like poking a sleeping bear with a stick- except the stick was a ten foot pole and the bear could fly, was indestructible, had laser vision, and could chuck you off the planet. _Not_ advisable.

"You can look now." Kara said as she finished changing into fuzzy pajamas with one of Barry's hoodies on over it. "I'd tell you to get on the couch, but our room is colder now so I think maybe I'll be nice this once- just for my own heating purposes, of course."

"Right," Barry said with a knowing smile as he zipped into his pajamas. "Whatever you want, my Kryptonian princess."

"Barry, you are _such_ a dork!" Kara said incredulously, though Barry could clearly see her cheeks getting redder. "Now come on- we have work tomorrow!"

"Coming, coming," Barry said, raising his hands in defeat and following Kara into their bedroom with a smile.

The next morning, Barry and Kara walked into Winn who was frantically fielding calls on Kara's desk. As they got closer, they noticed the wide variety of sticky notes hanging from the desk with Winn's chicken scratch sprawled over it.

"Err, yeah, _please_ stop yelling, yes, okay, I'll let her know," Winn was desperately stammering, trying to write down stuff. His pen slipped from his hand, and he gasped out as he saw Kara. "Ah, yes, yes, hold please,"

He stood abruptly. "Please, do not make me cover phones for you. Why were you two late again?"

"I wanted to get Cat some stuff," Barry said, lifting up a bouquet of roses and chocolate. "She won the Siegel Prize for Women in Media!"

"Oh, yeah, she already knows." Winn shrugged, returning to his chair with an audible sigh of relief. "I didn't know that she could smile... if it wasn't based on cruelty to others."

"She's smiled at me plenty," Barry defended Cat lightly, placing down his jacket on Kara's desk.

"Babe, you're also her star writer." Kara pointed out with a smile, seemingly over the fact that Barry and Clark went out for pizza last night.

Barry knew better, however. He could still see that gleam in her eyes…

"Right, well, I'm going to give her this stuff." Barry said, walking towards her office and opening the door with his shoulder.

He walked in on Cat angrily pacing the room. She held her hand up to him in a _hold on_ gesture. "I didn't tell you about it because I knew you would have this reaction. I know you think it's a stupid award, Mother, but I won it. I don't ask for very much. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that it was such a burden being a _grandmother_."

She angrily slammed down her receiver. Taking a few deep breaths, she offered Barry a smile. "Ah, Mr. Allen. Good morning."

"Good morning, Ms. Grant." Barry returned her smile with a wide one of his own. "I have to say, The Siegel Prize, that's huge. You beat put Lois Lane for it- I made sure to rub it in Clark's face last night."

Cat laughed lightly, taking the offered roses and chocolate. She examined the box of chocolates. "Fat free, good choice, Mr. Allen. Excellent social media post, too. Two writers at dinner- perfect, if I say so myself. And thank you, but I hope not, considering they're going to have to mail it to me. I won't be attending the ceremony."

"W-what?" Barry stammered out as his brain pieced together the conversation he'd walked in on earlier. _Oh._ "Why not?"

"I have no one to watch Carter," She breathed out tiredly, sinking into her chair. "And as much as I would love to rub it in her annoyingly freckled button nose, I can't go to a whole other city and leave my son alone all night into the morning."

"Well, Ms. Grant, I'd love to watch him for you," Barry offered, sitting down in front of her. "I'm not doing anything tonight."

"Really?" Cat asked, hope coloring her tone. She grimaced slightly. "I just wish my mother wasn't such a _bitch_ about it, pardon my language. She is living down to my expectations by prioritizing her career over my own. Does your mother give a damn about your career?"

"Err, my mother isn't alive." Barry responded awkwardly. As he saw Cat scramble for an apology, he waved her off. "No, no. It's fine, you couldn't have possibly known. She, uh, was murdered when I was a kid."

Cat exhaled slowly. She reached forward and grabbed Barry's hand comfortingly. "Mr- _Barry_ , I'm really sorry for asking. So you really wouldn't mind watching him?"

"No, I'd love to!" Barry reassured her. A grin worked its way onto his face. "Trust me, he'll be in good hands. I have a ton of food, a PS4, TV, comics, books- and of course he'll be safe. He wouldn't be safer if he was with the Flash."

Cat rolled her eyes at his Flash comment. "Err, Barry, I feel like I should bring this up a bit. My son, uh, Carter... He, um, well, he's not a normal boy, thank God. He's clever and curious, and like most gifted children, he can be... shy and reserved. He needs…"

"…special attention." Barry finished knowingly. He patted Cat's hand. "Don't worry- I was the same way as a kid. It'll be fine, Ms. Grant, I promise."

Cat nodded, happiness gleaming in her eyes. "Thank you. Right, so when you go to pick him up, you need to park in the green zone and walk to the line-up, or you need to idle in the yellow zone and put the placard in the..."

A few hours later, Barry stood in front of an elegant looking brick building with banners draped over the front. A stone statue of a man on a horse stood out front, as if keeping guard for the children in the school.

Carter would be coming out any minute.

Suddenly, Barry's earpiece flared to life with the sound of a loud explosion. His hand immediately shot up to his ear. "Talk to me."

"Ughhhrhrhrhr…" He heard Kara ground out, obviously wheezing in pain.

"Lesl- fuck, I forgot!" Barry spat, realizing that Leslie was currently in a meeting with some of the lower level people at Catco.

"Sending the coordinates now!" Winn yelled out. "I think Kara is supporting the weight of the building, so you're gonna need to run in there and get everyone out."

"Let's hope Carter doesn't come out," Barry said under his breath as he raised his hand and zoomed into his suit. Glancing at his phone, Barry tensed his muscles.

Through painstaking training, he'd discovered a new power- Barry could slow down time and still move at high speeds! This meant that he could move at a whole new speed.

The only downside was, well, he couldn't control it at all. Yet, considering he had to pick Carter up in, like, five minutes, he was willing to take the chance.

He took a deep breath, and noticed everything around him begin to crawl to a standstill. Cars began to slow down. The trees moving in the wind stood perfectly still. A bird flapping its wings nearby floated in the air, seemingly frozen in place.

Barry ran to the location Winn provided, marveling for a moment at how the explosion was suspended in time.

He felt his concentration falter. Time resumed for a moment, before stopping again. _Gotta go fast, Allen._

Barry disappeared, taking people out of the building one at a time. After a while, it became fairly easy, and the people were safe and sound.

Barry nodded to himself, heaving slightly as he ran back to the school and time resumed as normal.

 _Training with Clark is paying off,_ Barry thought to himself with satisfaction. Rather than be squirming with pain, Barry simply felt a dull ache on his left side- a small price to pay for the level of work he exerted.

A few minutes later, his earpiece flared to life again.

"Good work." The gruff voice of Hank broke him from his thoughts. "That was fast- even for you. And you too, Danvers. You were supporting the weight of 120 pounds per square foot, multiplied by five floors. Not bad."

"Why would someone plant a bomb in that building? What was in there?" Kara asked, out of breath.

"A lab developing a new, non-lithium battery." Winn answered, unsurprised. "Some of Maxell Lord's newest stuff. Cutting edge."

"Could be industrial espionage. This might be one to let the FBI handle." Barry whispered quietly- he wasn't exactly keen on letting anyone around him listen in on his conversation.

"I don't think we want to do that, sir. These are fragments from the bomb. I found the exact same technology inside the drone Kara brought in yesterday." Barry heard faintly. He assumed Alex was in the room with Kara and Hank back at the DEO.

"So whoever was spying on me was also behind the bombing?" Barry restrained himself from growling. It didn't sit right with him that someone out there was making drones to follow his girlfriend around.

"Yes. And I think I may have a lead." Alex said hesitantly.

"Maxwell Lord?" Barry threw out there.

"Yeah. Both the bomb and the drone used an advanced fiber optics relay system. It's not even on the market yet." Alex explained.

" _And_ it was developed by Lord Technologies." Winn added in. "Man, that guy gives me the creeps."

Lord sent a drone after Kara. Then, he used a bomb to blow up his own building. What was his game here?

Barry's eyes widened slightly as he began to put the pieces together. A drone would measure Kara's speed, reaction time. Her agility.

The bomb- Lord would've known that Supergirl would go to save the people trapped inside. Hank's words echoed in his head- the bomb had been a _ruse_ to record Kara's strength!

" _Fucking_ Lord." Barry breathed, and his hand unconsciously began to vibrate. This man was trying to find Kara's weaknesses! Like she was some sort of animal for him to experiment on!

Barry glanced at his vibrating hand. It wasn't like him to resort to violence right away, but something inside him had been changing. His time in the Speed Force on the way to this Earth had transformed him…

"Barry?" Kara asked in a worried voice.

"N-nothing." He reigned himself in. There was always a chance he was just overthinking it. If he wasn't, however, Maxwell Lord was going to be paid a visit _very_ soon. "I'm just worried, ya know?"

"For little ol' me?" Kara laughed, instantly lifting Barry's mood with the melodious sound. "I'll be fine, Bar, focus on Carter."

"See you at home. Love you." Barry said.

"Love you, too."

Barry tapped his earpiece, turning the volume down as kids began to flood out of the school, running and pushing each other. Towards the back half of the kids, a smaller boy came out, holding a book.

He walked over to a woman with a clipboard. Barry made his way over to her and waved. "Hey! Ms. Grant put my name on the list. Barry Allen."

"Ah, yes." The woman said, holding out the clipboard for him to look at. As Barry went to look at the clipboard, his eyes caught onto Carter's book- _Chemistry._ This kid was in elementary school! Barry was hit with a sense of _déjà vu-_ he felt like he was looking at a carbon copy of himself. "All I need is a signature."

Barry obliged, and the woman smiled at him. "I _loved_ your article on Supergirl, by the way! You just have _such_ a way with words!"

"Heh, thanks. It just comes naturally to me." Barry said, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly. "I'm really glad you liked it."

 _Yeah, right._ He thought to himself. It was kind of hard to _not_ write well when you could write the same sentence dozens of times in under a second just to see what words flowed together.

"O-oh, I loved it!" The woman's face flushed for a moment as she straightened her hair. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Right, anyway, he's all yours. Have fun, Carter!"

"Hey, there," Barry said, dropping to Carter's level and smiling to him widely. "I'm Barry. You probably don't know me, but I'm one of your mom's writers."

Carter nodded mutely. Quietly, he said, "I-I like reading your articles."

Barry frowned slightly at the boy's quietness, but the frown died quickly. He was _way_ more depressed as a kid- heck, he made Carter look like a ray of sunshine. "Alright Carter, me and you have the whole day and night. What do you like to do?"

Carter stared at him blankly. Barry repressed to urge to sigh and checked his watch. "Well, hey, it's 2 in the afternoon. You're probably, hungry, huh? Tell you what, let's go grab some food and on the way you can tell me about that interesting book in your hands."

"You like Chemistry?" Carter asked incredulously, lifting up his book for Barry to see. "Really?"

 _My whole life was chemicals, kid._ Barry thought fondly. Once in a while, he _did_ miss being a CSI, but writing wasn't a terrible gig either.

"Like it? Kid, I breathe it. Come on." Barry said with a grin as he offered Carter his hand.

"I just started reading about it this week." Carter told him excitedly as they began to walk, looking like a completely different boy from the one he picked up a minute ago. "It's so cool that everything is made up of these tiny little things."

"Right, I remember being taken with that aspect of it too." Barry laughed. "Although I'll admit, at your age, I was more into the _physical,_ like robots and machines. For my fifth grade science project, I stayed up all night and built a robot."

Carter smiled brightly at him. "A robot? That's so cool! I tried doing something like that, but Mom said it was dangerous and she didn't want me doing it alone."

"Well, hey, if you need a hand in the future, you can come to me." Barry promised as they crossed the street and headed towards a burger place. "I'm a huge nerd when it comes to this stuff."

"Being a nerd isn't bad, right?" Carter asked abruptly as Barry opened the door for him. "My mom says it's okay to be a nerd. She says if you can face your fears and come out of your shell, then... nerds can win in the end."

"Your mom is a very smart woman." Barry said truthfully, ruffling Carter's hair. "And yeah, they can. Look at me!"

Carter looked at him curiously, and Barry laughed.

"I have a great job- I get paid to write about superheroes, I have a wonderful girlfriend, family. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a nerd Carter, you just have to speak up and talk to people instead of keeping all that information in your head." He finished, gently poking Carter's head.

Carter grinned at him, falling in place beside him as they got in line. "Thanks."

"No problem, kid." Barry said fondly as he ordered for the both of them. As he carried both of their trays back to a table, his phone began to buzz.

"Ah, want to grab that for me, Carter?" Barry said, struggling to hold the trays up and reach for his phone at the same time. "It's in my jacket pocket."

Carter nodded, reaching into Barry's jacket and grabbing his phone. "Oh, it's from my mom."

"Pick it up," Barry said, placing their trays down. "I'm sure she'll want to know how you're doing."

Carter nodded. He answered the call. "Hello?"

Barry began to eat his burger as Carter got into an excited conversation with his mother. Barry suppressed a grin as he heard Cat's shriek when Carter told her they were eating at a burger place.

Barry doubted Cat even knew what a burger was, if he was being quite honest. She'd much rather have a salad with some sort of rare and incredibly expensive dressing.

"She wants to talk to you," Carter said, breaking Barry out of his thoughts.

"Hello?" Barry said as he took the phone.

"Mr. Allen, how are things?" Cat asked.

"They're going quite well, Ms. Grant. Carter is a pleasure." Barry reassured her. "I took him out to lunch, and after this I'll take him to my apartment and we'll fill the time somehow."

"Oh, how delightful! Sorry, one moment. Checking in, Grant." Cat said. Barry heard her sigh on the other end. "No, _Grant._ G-R-A-N-T. I'll be requiring someone to bring these bags up to my room, please. Thank you. Anyway, where were we- yes! Let me know how much the night ends up costing and I'll gladly reimb"-

"Let me stop you there," Barry interrupted, chuckling as Carter grabbed a fork and knife. "No, Carter, just use your hands- there you go. As I was saying, there's no need for that, Ms. Grant. I told you it was my pleasure, and I meant it. Now come on, go enjoy your gala. I'll call tonight so Carter can say goodnight."

"Thank you, Barry." Cat said sincerely. "Goodbye."

"Bye." Barry clicked the phone.

Barry's comm crackled to life. "Yo, it's Les. Just got out of the meeting. I heard the explosion, but I saw Barry take care of it. That was _crazy-_ even in _Flashtime_ I could barely make out the white trail."

"Barry's with Carter right now," Alex explained with a weary tone. "I, uh, I have some news, though. I went to talk with Lord, and found out some interesting stuff."

"As in?" Leslie asked.

" _Allegedly,_ he knows nothing about the explosion. It was his own lab that was destroyed- a subsidiary of one of his companies. Not that it was public knowledge."

"If it wasn't public knowledge, wouldn't someone from his company still have to be the one calling the shots?" Leslie wondered. "I mean, it makes no sense to me why he or any of the higher ups would want their own building destroyed, but if it's public knowledge it's a safe bet to assume it came from the inside."

"That's…actually a good point." Alex agreed. "I'm still with him- I gotta go. I'll bring it up to him."

"Peace, girl." Leslie said. "Yo, Bar, I'm coming by your place later for train- oh shoot, the kid. When you get the chance, tell me what to work on. See ya."

Barry quickly whipped out his phone and texted Leslie. _Work on phasing._

Normally, Barry would train Leslie into the ground by pushing her abilities to the limit, but tonight he couldn't. As much fun as it was to watch Leslie curse at him for hours, he couldn't risk Carter finding out anything.

In his defense, for the last few weeks, Barry had been on edge. It was hard to describe. Ever since the "accident" that purified Barry's connection to the Speed Force, Barry had felt more in tune with it than ever.

When Leslie first arrived at that Thanksgiving dinner, Barry could almost see the waves of the Speed Force radiating off of her.

Startled by this discovery, Barry took on meditation in order to discover more- Kara joked that he was becoming a _Jedi._

The results were, well, shocking. The Speed Force was a massive looming force in the galaxy- Barry could envision the giant maelstrom of energy somewhere far away, and to a lesser degree, he saw the same storm of energy inside of him.

In the past few weeks, there had been a dip. A poison. Bits of the Speed Force were become corrupted- red. Originally, Barry assumed it was Leslie using it, but upon further discovery, he realized it wasn't. Barry and Leslie _shared_ the Speed Force- whatever this _thing_ was, it was corrupting the Speed Force and turning it into something else entirely.

Speed Force Eddie had gone noticeably quiet, too, so Barry had a sinking feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Then, there was the matter of the mystery speedster. Looking at it from an objective point of view, Barry was able to narrow down who it was fairly easily (even if the thought made his face turn red).

This person was from the future, had both Barry's and Kara's powers, knew exactly where Alex's apartment was _and_ exactly what was going to happen. Either Eobard stepped up his game big time, or that was son or daughter from the future.

Sadly, this discovery opened up even more questions than before. Why was he or she here? Furthermore, why was he or she messing with the timeline?

Barry knew that the next time their paths crossed, he _had_ to find out what was going on. After all, if one of his _children_ was seeking to change the past, it couldn't be good news. Maybe the Speed Force corruption and his child had something to do with each other.

He vowed to confront him or her the next time he saw them, but it had been a while.

"Barry!" Carter called, snapping him out of his stupor. "You've been looking at the wall for, like, ten minutes!"

"Heh, sorry, Carter." Barry said embarrassedly. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"You were talking about your comics!" Carter said excitedly, hopping off the seat. "Let's go read them!" Barry marveled at the complete turnaround in Carter's mood.

"Sounds good to me, kiddo." Barry grinned as they started to walk back to his and Kara's apartment.

The rest of the night passed fairly uneventfully. Kara came home a bit later, and the trio were eating pizza when Barry's comm went off. "So, I'm at Lord Tech with a bomb that's going to go off in a minute."

Barry stood up abruptly, as did Kara. "Kara, I've got this one."

"Barry"-

"He's right." Hank interrupted. "This bomb is like a high-tech daisy cutter. If it blows, it'll produce an overpressure of 2,000 pounds per square inch. That'll level 30 square blocks. You need to get it clear of the city- only Barry is that fast."

Carter stared at Barry. "Barry?"

Kara grabbed Barry's face and kissed him. "Please be careful. Now run, Barry, _run!"_

Barry nodded, and zoomed into his costume. Carter's jaw dropped. You're"-

"The Flash." Barry nodded. The _last_ thing

Barry waved at Kara and Carter, and streaked out of the apartment. He tore down the streets until he reached Lord Technologies.

"Flash, thank _god_ you're here." Lord breathed in relief. The timer on the bomb had reached twenty seconds.

Barry picked up the bomb and entered Flashtime. He began to run out of the city, when suddenly, he felt his connection falter. The world began moving at normal speeds again.

"Fuck!" Barry screamed, still running as fast as he could. The ground beneath him changed to water as he skipped his way onto the ocean.

He dropped it, and turned back to run.

The bomb exploded. Shockwaves of pure force crashed outwards, clipping Barry in the calf. He faltered, and the rest of the explosion began to race towards him.

Lightning flashed through Barry's suit, and he suddenly felt more speed force flood into his system. Electricity crackled through his eyes, and he used his time dilation power with ease and ran back to shore.

Where had that burst of Speed Force come from?

Barry looked down at his arms, lightning still running up and down them. That's when he suddenly noticed a small black device. He hesitantly picked it off of his arm, and examined it closely.

"Tachyonic particles," Barry mumbled to himself as he looked closer at the mystery device.

Slowly, his brain began to piece together what had happened. At some point in their last encounter, his child from the future slipped this onto his suit. They must've known something like this would happen.

And, when it did, they transferred some of their Speed Force to him.

"Clever." Barry complimented, running back to his apartment.

"Barry!" Kara screamed, launching and grabbing him in a hug. Barry confusedly patted her back as he pulled her shaking body closer to his.

"Uh, what's up?" He asked. "I'm fine."

Carter hopped off the couch. "Barry, you've been gone for a few hours."

Barry gave him a confused look. "No, Carter, I…"

Carter was right. Barry took a glance out of the window, and saw that it was nighttime. That didn't make sense.

"Well, looks like I have some explaining to do." A new voice entered the room, as the black figure phased through the wall.

"Tachyons." Barry grinned, holding up the device. He tossed it to the figure, who caught it with ease. "Clever."

"I learned from the best." Without the voice modulation, Barry could easily tell it was a girl talking.

Kara, still nestled in Barry's arms looked back and forth between the two with confusion. "I'm sorry, Barry, is this the creepy speedster who you chased?"

Barry snorted. "Yep. Although, I have a pretty good idea of who it is now."

"I thought you would." The figure laughed, pulling down its hood. Bright blue eyes stared back at him. Straight brown hair fell to her shoulders, and Barry saw she was smiling brightly.

Barry felt a warm feeling blossom inside of his body as he looked at a face he could only describe as a perfect blend of him and Kara-if not a little more Kara than him. The girl had Kara's eyes, cheekbones, Barry's grin, yet the rest was mostly Kara's features.

"Wow, you've got my nose." Barry laughed, letting go of Kara to walk closer to the speedster. "Sorry about that. The rest of you looks mostly like Kara, though."

The girl shrugged. "I'm more like you than her, anyway. My other siblings are more like mom."

Barry grinned at her and held his arms out, and she ran into them. "It's good to see you, Dad."

"Uh, can someone explain what's going on?" Kara asked impatiently. "Like _right now_ , before I flip on you both?"

"I think it's best that you introduce yourself," Barry said, his face turning a little red.

"Right." The girl said, looking at Kara. "My name's Alura Allen, and I'm your daughter from the future."

Kara looked back and forth between Alura and Barry. Then, she started laughing. "Oh, I get it. I get it. This is some prank, right? You're mad because I've been making you sleep on the couch. _Ha ha,_ Barry."

Alura looked at Barry expectantly, and he nodded. Alura zoomed around the room, her purple lightning reflecting against the windows. After she stopped, her eyes glowed red, and she burned a hole in one of Kara's couch pillows. "Is that enough proof, mom?"

Kara gaped. She looked back and forth between Alura and Barry. "Wait...so...Barry and I…" She touched her two index fingers together.

"Kara, jeez, there's a kid here!" Barry exclaimed, his face turning red at the obvious sexual gesture Kara just made. "Carter, you didn't hear that-wait, Carter's still here. Oh lord, please don't tell"-

"I won't!" Carter promised. "Don't worry. This is the _coolest_ thing that's ever happened to me! It's even cooler than when I learned about photoelectron"-

"Okay, thanks." Alura cut him off. She looked back at Barry. "Dad, I'm not supposed to stay here long, so I'll get right to the point. There's a speedster back in this time."

"The parasite." Barry muttered distastefully. "I can feel it feeding off of the Speed Force."

"That's the Negative Speed Force." Alura confirmed. She sighed. "You're not going to like this, but throughout history there's only been one person to use the Negative Speed Force."

"Eobard Thawne." Barry growled. Anger flooded through Barry's veins. The Speed Force in his system reacted to his anger, twisting and churning. Sparks of white began to crackle around him.

 _Barry,_ Barry heard in his voice faintly. _It's The Speed Force. We don't have much power- we're focusing on fighting off this parasite._

Barry glanced at Alura, who nodded to signal that she could hear it too.

 _What do you need me to do?_ Barry thought back.

 _This…impostor deserves punishment._ It whispered angrily in Barry's mind. _Find him. Break him._

Barry paused for a moment. _But…I'm a hero…_

 _This man has a made a mockery of us. To try to bastardize our power. Barry Allen, you are our champion. Show him our wrath._

And just like that, they were gone.

Alura shook her head. "They told me to do the same thing. You have your hands full with something else in my time, so they sent me."

The Speed Force in Barry's system was crushing against itself violently. Barry had never felt this way before- the very Speed Force In his system was yearning to be let out and find Thawne.

"I don't know when we'll be back." Barry told Kara, kissing her forehead. "But this needs to be taken care of, now. Letting Alura stay here too long is a dumb move."

"Yeah, even I can tell that." Kara mused. Her eyes were dancing with joy- Barry suspected seeing their daughter from the future made her happier than she let on. Maybe she'd forget about the _Bercellis_ incident... "I'm not that stupid, Barry. What'd you think, I'd be like 'oh no, let's keep her here for a year and see what happens'? That's something Iris would do…"

Barry winced at the truth of the statement. Iris really _was_ the type to do that. Hell, she'd probably even forgive Thawne for killing his mother.

Alura snorted, breaking Barry out of his stupor. "She's got a point, Dad. So, are we running?"

"You know where he is?" Barry asked, shocked. "Thawne's some sort of genius, I'm impressed you found him so easily."

"He's not _that_ smart." Alura laughed. "From my time, let's just say he's nothing more than an annoyance to us."

"Lead the way." Barry grinned, following Alura as she flashed out of the door.

Barry felt a surge of pride as Alura sped down the streets at a level of speed that probably would've blow Zoom out of the water with ease. If this was the product of him and Kara being parents, he was excited for the future.

Right, left, down, left, right, straight, over the bridge. In less than a minute, both father and daughter stood in front of Lord Technologies.

"Hm." Barry thought out loud. "Is this the part where you tell me why he's poking around here?"

Alura pointed. The telltale streak of red lightning was coming down the building. "Let's kick his ass and find out."

AN: Well then, is that a cruel place to end it or what?

I'm curious as to what you guys thought about this season of the Flash. Personally, it was okay, but I won't lie, I'm getting just a bit tired of the lazy writing and the storylines. Some parts _are_ interesting, I won't deny that, but I absolutely despise the way the treat Barry. His power fluctuates so much it's crazy. On one hand they say he's the fastest speedster ever, then he can't outrun a motorcycle. He's fast enough to spend so much time in Flashtime he literally sees the tendrils of a _nuclear bomb_ and yet he isn't fast enough to stop Cicada. Oh look, we've knocked Cicada up! Instead of putting power dampening cuffs on her, let's _wait for her to get up!_

Writing like _that_ is what made me want to start this story in the first place. I don't want Barry to have everything just handed to him, but with the power he has, he could be a _god._ Mix that in with the fact that him and Kara and just adorable, and well, you have this.

I hope my Barry doesn't seem _too_ overpowered. I do want him to be overpowered, but not to an extent where he's invincible. Next chapter will showcase some of that.

Writing after a little break is always tough- hopefully this chapter doesn't come out too bad to you guys.

'Til next time,

-Maroon


	6. S1, E6- Red Faced

**S1, E6: Red Faced**

 _My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. To the outside world, I am an ordinary reporter for Catco media, but secretly, I fight any enemies of Supergirl that she can't handle to keep her safe. There a lot of aliens that escaped from Fort Rozz, an intergalactic prison- and I am the only one fast enough to stop them._

 _I am The Flash!_

Barry held his breath as the maelstrom of red lightning stopped in front of him. Thawne's red eyes died down, and his body stopped vibrating. "The...Flash."

A few moments passed. Barry inclined his head. White lightning began to crackle from his fingertips. The Speed Force in his system was _yearning_ to be let out. "Eobard Thawne. You do not belong here."

Thawne chuckled. He raised his arms out, as if he were greeting an old friend. "Ah. I see our time traveler in common has informed you of the situation."

Thawne lunged forward, and buried a syringe into Barry's arm. A moment later, he pulled it out and returned to his spot, tucking something away in his suit.

"Why are you here?" Barry continued, his voice straining slightly. The sting of where Thawne had stabbed him was already beginning to fade away. "What did you inject me with?"

"Mm. I suppose I could tell you. It's simple, really." The man in yellow thought out loud. "Why, to kill you, of course."

"I think," Barry said, flexing his fingers and stretching his legs. "You'll find that to be a tough task to complete."

 _Crack!_

In less than a second, the two speedsters met in the middle in an explosion of light.

 _Training with Clark paid off…_ thought Barry as he engaged Thawne in a high-speed fistfight. Each punch the speedsters connected with echoed. Rings of pressure travelled outwards from their blurred fight.

Thawne was surprisingly fast- Barry wagered that he was either on or slightly below even _his_ newfound speed- no wonder it had been so hard to fight him back in the day.

Now since they were equals, though, Barry realized Thawne possessed no fighting skill at all.

Barry ducked under a wild punch, and twisted backwards, snapping Thawne's head back with a powerful kick.

Capitalizing, he rushed forward and buried his fist in Thawne's gut. As Thawne gasped out and fell to his knees, Barry grabbed his head and smashed it into his knee.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to kill me." Barry said, not even out of breath.

Thawne shakily got back up. His red eyes stared at Barry with untold amounts of hatred. A wicked grin made its way onto his face.

"If I can't defeat you, I'll just destroy your _city!"_ Thawne cried, disappearing in a crack of red lightning.

Barry's eyes widened, and he disappeared in a maelstrom of white lightning, staying on his tail. Why did it feel like Thawne was rushing the fight along? Usually there would have been some more barbs thrown in there.

Thawne turned for a moment and jumped, a red arc of lightning landing off his arm and flying towards one of the more notable buildings in the city.

Barry pushed himself as hard as he could, and ran up the side of the building, tossing his own bolt at Thawne's.

They met in the middle with a loud _bang._ A giant shockwave of energy echoed forward, shattering the windows in the nearby cars.

Barry ran at Thawne again, easily dropping under his punch and delivering a crushing punch to his jaw.

Thawne ran at him again, except this time Leslie came running down the street and clipped him in leg with a brace.

"DEO sent me." Leslie grinned, holding a button. She pressed it and tendrils of electricity started shopping up and down Thawne's body.

Thawne groaned, falling to the ground. " _Spitfire."_ He growled. "I'll give you ten seconds to leave before I run my hand through your heart."

"You should go, Spitfire." Barry warned, his body vibrating. "He's above your level."

Leslie shrugged. "Come on, Flash. Don't tell me you think he could _actually_ "-

Thawne vibrated through the brace after a few moments, and knocked Leslie on the ground.

His hand began to vibrate as a sickening scowl made its way onto his face. "I told you- now prepare to die."

Barry appeared next to him, clocking him in the face.

"Spitfire, _go!_ " Barry screamed as Leslie ran away.

"How heroic, Flash." Thawne taunted, staring at him. "Always willing to let the helpless go."

"You can't kill me." Barry said angrily. The Speed Force had begun to addle his system. When he looked at Thawne, all he wanted to do was _tear him apart._ "Leave."

Thawne grinned. "You know, I don't think I want to. A few moments from now, a train will go haywire with a bomb inside, and your sweet Kryptonian love will go trying to save everyone."

"Right, even if that does happen, she'll take care of it." Barry answered, not rising to the obvious bait Thawne had just attempted to use to make Barry nervous. "I'm going to stay right here and beat you back to your time."

Alura appeared next to him. "Thawne, this is your final warning. After this, we will be authorized to use deadly force."

"I'd like to see you try, little girl." Thawne sneered, noticing the crowd that had begun to form around them.

"Hey!" One of the citizens yelled. He looked at Thawne with a confused expression. "It's the Flash! Is that other guy like his sidekick or something?"

Thawne snarled, running towards him. The man stared at him, dumbfounded, as Thawne raised his hand. "Don't you _ever_ compare me to the Flash!"

Barry slammed into Thawne, causing him to drop the person.

"W-who are you?" The man asked, backing away.

"Not the Flash." Thawne mused. "No, nothing like him. The Flash stands for bravery, peace. I _live_ to ensure the destruction of those things!"

Thawne cackled as an explosion was heard, and a plume of smoke could be seen a few blocks away. "No, you fool, I'm nothing like him. In fact, some would even say I'm the reverse."

"I see you don't use any new lines." Barry muttered under his breath. He'd heard that one before, and no, it wasn't any better the second time around.

Alura glared at Thawne. "Activate."

Barry's eyes widened. From his point of view, he could witness the Speed Force in Alura's system double, _triple_.

Thawne didn't stand a chance.

It was brutal. Alura's speed was unmatched. Thawne couldn't even react as Alura began her assault. Her hands blurred forward, smashing into Thawne's body. With each touch, bits of Speed Force flooded into Thawne's system, coiling and crashing with the negative Speed Force residing inside.

Eventually, the silvery white wisps of the Speed Force began to eradicate the crimson bits of the Negative Speed force.

Thawne yelled in pure pain as he was forced to his knees. Alura placed her hands on his head, and pure white began to flow from her fingertips.

Barry watched with pure fascination as, for all intents and purposes, his daughter purified Thawne. It was like a speed force exorcism.

She pulled her hands away a moment later. Thawne dropped to the ground, his labored breathing the only sign that he was even alive.

"Thanks for distracting him." Alura grinned as she pulled out a pair of metahuman handcuffs. "It takes a while to charge that up."

"You basically stood in one place and absorbed a bunch of Speed Force, and then let it flood his body so he couldn't use his version of it." Barry noted. "Ingenious."

"Well, I did learn from the best." Alura retorted as she slung Thawne over her shoulder. "Sorry about intruding on your day. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Any chance you can tell me when I'll see _you_ for the first time?" Barry asked, leaning against a nearby pole.

"That would be telling." She joked as she waved at him, before tearing down the street. Barry witnessed a wormhole open up for a moment as she sped into it.

That girl was skilled.

 _Oh no!_ Barry's eyes widened as he remembered the explosion. He moved to go investigate.

"Gah!" Barry cried out. Since the adrenaline from the fight had begun to wear off, he felt the stabbing pain of the overuse of his powers.

 _This is bad…_ Barry thought. Blood was beginning to seep through his suit.

"Flash!" One of the people from the crowd yelled. Barry just began to notice the concerned looks everyone was throwing towards him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, don't worry." Barry said, waving at everyone. "That right there was an example of an evil villain. No match for the good guys though."

His last comment settled the crowd. They began to disperse, relieved that their beloved hero was safe.

Barry took a deep breath before he ran to the DEO. The explosion, while disturbing, wasn't something he could handle right now.

Training with Clark had paid off, but constant use of his powers at that level was excruciating. He sent up a silent prayer, hoping that the next speedster who wanted a piece of him could wait until he got better suited to his powers before picking a fight.

A few minutes later, Hank had him strapped into one of the advanced healing pods that he'd commissioned just for Barry. Once the latch was closed, an influx of chemicals rushed into the pod as well as a continuous drop from warm to freezing cold temperatures and back to blistering hot.

It acted as an accelerated healing process that not only healed Barry's wounds, but jumpstarted his own healing.

Despite his relief that Thawne was gone, something kept nagging at Barry. Something seemed so off about the whole situation, he just couldn't put his finger on it. Thawne had acted so _unlike_ himself.

In the past, Thawne had never been the type to act so impulsively about, well, anything. He hated Barry, yes, but every move he made was, for the most part, carefully thought out and constructed.

Running back in time to try to kill him, which he had tried in the past, just didn't seem to make sense. Their fates were intertwined- Thawne knew that. So why would he come back to kill him?

The answer was simple- it had been an excuse. The healing pod suddenly felt colder. Barry and Alura had been unable to identify what Thawne stole- was it possible that he'd used it as a front to cause some sort of change in the future? Was the syringe what he stole?

And what was that thing Thawne injected him with?

Well, it wasn't his problem anymore, Barry reasoned. He hoped that the future version of himself could uncover Thawne's true motives.

A small beeping sound brought Barry's attention out of his thoughts. Despite the fact that he'd been in it for only a few minutes, his healing was already 70% complete. Barry reasoned that if the syringe had poison, it should've been out of his system by now.

"So, let me get this straight." Hank said for the thousandth time that night as he paced in front of Barry with a cup of coffee. "A man from the future- the same man that killed your mother and gave you your powers originally- came to our time to kill you, only to be stopped by a future daughter that you and Kara have somewhere down the line who _also_ travelled back in time."

"Sounds about right." Barry replied as the pod swung open, and he hopped down. He flexed his fingers and gently stretched his body.

Hank took a sip of his coffee. "So wait, this man was also the man who was originally from the far future, but he came back in time to kill you because he loved you and then found out he was destined to be your greatest"-

"Don't think too much about it," Barry laughed as Hank offered him a cup of coffee. "It'll give you a headache."

"You got that right." Hank agreed. "Speaking of headaches…"

Carter came running towards Barry. "Barry!"

"Hey, kiddo." Barry grinned as he gave Carter a hug. "Welcome to the DEO. I mean, I sort of figured that they wouldn't let some random little kid in, but hey, since you're here, welcome!"

Hank grunted. "We didn't _want_ to let 'some random little kid' in, but Kara had to save some people on a train. She dropped him off and flew."

"What about Leslie?" Barry asked, wrapping a comforting arm around Carter, who seemed intimidated by Hank.

"We sent her out to aid you in defeating that other speedster." Hank reminded him. She came back shaken up. She's training right now."

"She should be shaken up." Barry defended. "That guy used to scare the hell out of me."

Hank shrugged. "Kara and Alex are examining a bomb, if you want to hear their side of the story."

Barry nodded, tugging Carter. "Let's go pay them a visit."

"Hank said that this was a dud." Alex was stammering as Barry and Carter entered the room. "A decoy to draw us away from the real bomb, but that is a kill switch used to disable it remotely."

"Why would you put a failsafe on a fake bomb?" Kara asked out loud, her arms crossed.

"In case a certain Kryptonian couldn't save you in time." Barry offered as he made his way over to them.

Kara's face split with a radiant smile as she ran up to Barry and wrapped her arms around him. "Barry! What happened with- uh, you know…"

"She took him back to the future." Barry said, blushing a bit as the implications of having a daughter set in a bit. Kara's face matched his, and Carter giggled slightly.

Alex looked at the trio with a confused expression. "Did I miss something?"

"Nope." Barry said quickly. "So, uh, there was an explosion?"

"Yeah…" Kara added. "Um, so, Knox killing himself makes no sense."

"Come on, crazy guy snaps, gets even crazier?" Alex said. She shrugged as she tinkered some more with the bomb. "I could see it."

Kara frowned slightly. "Well, he didn't seem crazy, he seemed sad. He said he loved his daughter, he was doing it for her, but how do these bombings help a sick girl?"

"I have a hunch." Barry grimaced. "I could have Winn look some stuff over for me, but I feel like I'm right on this one, so maybe not."

"Winn's in on this too?" Carter asked excitedly. "You guys have like a secret superhero squad right under my mom's nose!"

"Err, about that, I'd appreciate-, no, _we'd_ appreciate if you kept this stuff on the down low." Kara interjected. "You saw how dangerous and well, weird things get around here."

"I won't!" Carter said, shaking his head. "Your lives are scary. Your secret's safe with me, but it's still _so cool_ that I know both of my favorite superheroes _and_ they're dating!"

"Heh, I could see how that would be cool." Barry relented, good-naturedly high fiving Carter. "Now then, it's currently four in the morning, so I hope you napped, because you're not getting any sleep. Your mom wants me to bring you to work before you go to school so she can see you."

"Barry!" Kara admonished, causing Barry to grin. "You can take a nap if you want, Carter. We don't leave for work for another three hours."

"That reminds me!" Barry said abruptly. "I'll be right back!"

A few moments later, he appeared on the top floor of _Lord Technologies_ with a whoosh.

"What can I get you?" Maxwell Lord asked, already leaning back in his chair, a glass of whiskey twirling slightly in his hand. He smirked. "Or are you not allowed to drink and run? I don't know the rules."

"Let's cut to the chase." Barry said, his voice reverting to the Zoom/Thawne hybrid. He inwardly grinned when he noticed Lord's flinch. "You were testing Supergirl."

"I was _what?_ " Lord asked incredulously. "Now then, Flash, you must have some sort of reasoning to come here making claims like that."

"I don't need to explain myself." Barry snarled, standing up. The influx of the Speed Force from earlier was addling his sense, dulling his moral compass. All he knew was that this man in front of him was a danger to Kara. "This is your first and final warning: leave her alone."

Lord smiled knowingly, standing up. "And if I don't?"

Barry zoomed to him, picked him up, and slammed him against the wall. His right hand started to vibrate. "I am not a _being_ you want to test. I could erase your very existence, shred your organs with a punch, and toss you into a dimensional rift- I could destroy your company in less than a second. Do not test my patience."

Lord looked back at Barry, his eyes fearful. "I-I won't."

Barry leaned closer to him, right next to his ear. "If you tell anyone about this…"

He slowly moved his vibrating hand into the wall, splintering it and causing a large hole to form.

Just like that, he was gone in a flash of white.

A few blocks away, Barry slid to the ground against a building as he thought about what he'd just done. He'd just threatened to kill an innocent person! Well, he wasn't innocent, but he was still just a regular person.

"What's happening to me?" Barry asked quietly, looking up at the night sky.

He received no answer.

* * *

The next morning, Barry and Carter were sitting in his office.

Barry began work on his newest article titled "The Reverse-Flash" while Carter ate a donut with some hot chocolate while sitting on his windowsill.

"Your office is so cool." Carter mumbled to him off-handedly as he watched all of the cars pass underneath them.

Barry smiled at Carter, continuing his article. Ten seconds later, it was done.

"No wonder you're such a good writer." Carter laughed at him, hopping off his windowsill just as the door opened.

"Honey! I was so worried about leaving you! Mommy missed you so much!" Cat said, running inside and hugging Carter. "Oh, my sweet boy."

"Mom!" Carter said embarrassedly. "Mom, I'm fine!"

"Barry told me you two were eating dinner in a restaurant near where the Flash fought that evil villain!" She said anxiously, slightly fanning herself.

"Oh yeah, it was _so cool!_ " Carter said unexpectedly, making Cat pause for a moment. "I saw the Flash in person! Spitfire was there too! She's even prettier in person!"

Cat's expression changed for a moment as she leaned forward a little bit. "Well... did you notice any of her other attributes? What makes her so loved?"

"Her legs. Definitely her legs." Carter replied, causing Barry to snort into his coffee. "Her bravery, mom."

"Oh! That was a joke. That was a joke. Carter, you made a joke. You never make a joke." Cat rambled happily, hugging Carter again. "School! School, you have to go to school. You're gonna be late. The car is downstairs waiting for you. Did you brush your teeth?"

"Yes, mom. Barry made me brush my teeth." Carter said, a little annoyed at being fussed over. Barry figured learning about a psychotic villain that could run back and forth through time did more to break Carter out of his shell than years of gentle prodding from Cat would ever do.

"Bye, Carter," Barry said as he stood up. "Don't be a stranger, now. If you need any help with that robot, I'm your guy."

"Bye, Bar." Carter said, using the affectionate nickname Kara gave him as he have Barry a tight hug. "Good luck with work."

"Oh!" Cat said with surprise as she watched the scene unfold.

"You know it, buddy." Barry grinned, ruffling Carter's hair a bit. "Now get to school. Education is important, you know."

"Gee, I didn't know I had two mothers." Carter stuck his tongue out at Barry as he began to make his way out of the room. "Barry and I had so much fun, mom! Can he watch me again?"

"If he would like to." Cat continued in her same surprised tone of voice. "I love you. Have a good day at school. Go on. Bye!"

The moment the door closed, she turned around and looked at Barry incredulously. "I-how-it"-

"He was a pleasure to watch, Ms. Grant." Barry chuckled. He waved his hand. "He reminded me a lot of myself as a kid, so it was pretty easy to get him to break out of his shell. You have a lovely son."

Cat gave him a rare, warm smile. "Thank you, Barry. How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything." Barry said firmly. "I offered to watch him because we're friends, not for some ulterior motive. I'm sorry that we wound up so close to the excitement last night, but I had no idea the Flash and Reverse Flash would come running into the fray like that."

"Reverse Flash?" Cat asked curiously as Barry turned his laptop towards her.

"When they were fighting, someone from the crowd mistook him for another Flash and he said something like 'some might even call me the reverse', so I just kind of took it and ran with it." Barry shrugged.

"Hm," Cat thought out loud. "I mean, it isn't quite my favorite name, but if what you're saying is true then it is the most fitting. Good work. Send it in."

"Yes, ma'am." Barry replied as Cat left his office.

After a few more hours of 'work', Barry left his office to get some more coffee and drop in on Kara, only to find her, Alex, and Winn in the middle of a heated argument.

 _What is Alex doing here?_ Barry wondered to himself as he covertly positioned himself behind the kitchen wall.

We're going to find out what happened to your dad. I promise." Kara said with the sweetest tone Barry had ever heard her use. "But, uh, as you can see... Today, um, right this very second... It's just, it's not a good time."

 _I mean, yeah, it's not like we're at work or something,.._ Barry thought to himself amusedly.

"Actually, I came to talk to Winn." Alex said as Winn sputtered.

"Absolutely not! Are you out of your minds?" He whispered furiously. His voice was so low Barry almost had trouble picking up on it. "Hank and Barry are like _tight_. Why don't you just talk to him?"

"No, they're not." Kara and Alex deadpanned, to which Barry had to refrain from laughing. He _did_ know Hank's secret.

"Winn, we need your help." Kara pleaded.

"To break into the DEO mainframe? Uh, that's not help, that's treason." Winn replied smartly. It _was_ treason and well, the DEO had made people 'disappear' for a lot less in the past.

"Winn..." Kara continued in her tone of voice. Even though he couldn't see her, Barry just knew she was pouting right now.

 _Stay strong, Winn…_ Barry thought.

"No! No. No, okay. I'm sorry. Not even for you, Kara. For whom I would do anything..."

 _Ok, not that strong…_ Barry cringed to himself.

"But…it's about her dad." Kara said sadly, and Barry winced. Hook, line, and sinker.

"It's a dirty pool, Danvers. You know I have dad issues." Winn complained, a little bit of fight left in his voice. Barry decided to stroll out of the kitchen with his steaming cup and slowly and silently make his way behind Alex and Kara.

"His name was Jeremiah Danvers. The DEO found out about Kara soon after she landed on Earth. They threatened to take her unless my father went to work for them. He did. A year later he was dead. I need to find out what really happened to him." Alex pleaded, holding one of Winn's hands in both of hers.

"If the DEO knows about your dad, why don't you just go ask them?" Winn asked feebly. Barry had to hand it to him, Winn was hanging on much longer than he'd expected- even if it was a losing battle.

Alex sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Because if they wanted to tell me the truth, they would have done it already. Please? You're the only one that can help us."

"Okay! Okay, I'm in." Winn caved at last, causing both girls to hug each other and Winn to smile. "Just don't tell Barry."

"Don't tell me what?" Barry asked, taking a sip of his coffee. He smirked inwardly at how all three of them managed to jump in the air at the same time.

"Erm," Winn said, his eyes wide open as he froze like a deer in front of headlights. Was he shaking? "I, uh, KARA's PREGNANT!"

"Winn!" Kara yelled, her face coloring. Barry could see her torn between going with the excuse and smacking Winn.

"Well, if that was the first excuse you guys are running with, this must be some pretty serious stuff." Barry continued, taking another sip. "Ah, that expresso machine sure does make some good stuff."

"That's good, baby." Kara said, flashing Barry a warm smile. She leaned forward and hugged Barry's other arm to her.

"Wow, and Kara's trying to distract me." Barry said, gently kissing Kara's forehead. Just because she was trying to distract him didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it. "You guys going to take over the world or something?"

Just then, Kara and Alex's comms buzzed.

"Ah, darn," Alex said, tugging Kara's arm. "We've gotta go meet Hank. You and Winn have fun!"

And just like that, Winn and Barry were left standing next to each other.

"So, uh, how much of that did you hear?" Winn stammered nervously. "I know you, Barry. There's no way you just happened to show up at the perfect time like that."

Barry smiled at Winn's deduction. "Smart man. All I'm going to say is that you want to make sure you don't end up poking your nose where it doesn't belong. Especially when you deal with government agencies. Kara and I may be superhuman, but you my friend, are still human. You need to be careful."

Winn swallowed. He sat back in his chair slowly, as if he was having an internal debate with himself.

"You're a good guy, Winn." Barry reminded as he patted his shoulder comfortingly before walking into Cat's office with his newly printed article that had already reached viral status online.

"All these televisions. How can you possibly get any work done with so much visual noise assaulting you?" Barry heard as he walked in.

 _That's right!_ He remembered. Cat's mother was coming in, and based on her not so thinly veiled disdain for the woman, Barry could only assume how "interesting" the day was going to be.

"That visual noise is my work, Mother." Cat replied testily, and Barry could see the subtly tight grip Cat suddenly had on her pen.

"That's right, my daughter, what do they call you? The Proletariat Princess." Cat's mother chuckled, as if it were an inside joke.

"Queen of All Media," Barry corrected as he walked in with his most charming smile already on his face. "Good morning, Ms. Grant. Who is this lovely lady?"

If there was one thing Barry knew without a doubt, it was that the Grant women replied very positively to buttering up.

"Why, I'm Cat's mother of course." The older Grant replied as she fluttered her eyelashes slightly. "And you are…?"

"One of Ms. Grant's reporters." Barry replied politely, holding up the article. "I was just coming to inform her that my article had reached viral status just a few hours after its release."

"Barry is one of the most talented writers our city has ever seen." Cat informed her mother, showing her the article that Barry just handed her. "People around town call him our resident superhero scribe. A bit tacky, if you ask me, but if the shoe fits…"

Barry grinned at Cat's jibe. "So, Mrs. Grant, what brings you to our fair city?"

"Please, dear, call me Katherine." Katherine said graciously. She adjusted her fur coat around herself. "Book tour. I edited Paget Willoughby's newest novel."

"Wow, that's certainly a lofty achievement." Barry complimented. He could almost see Katherine's head swell from the praise.

"Ah finally, a young man with some _sense_ in this town. Perhaps you'll listen to it when it comes out in audio book form." Katherine suggested. "I could even get you a signed copy, if you'd like."

"That would be wonderful, Katherine, thank you." Barry said in a respectful tone of voice that Cat saw right through if her amused smirk was any indication. "It'll be quite the addition to be already impressive novel collection back home."

Oh, that one was tough. Cat had to bite her lip from busting out laughing, and Barry bit the inside of his cheek to prevent his smile from breaking out.

"I'm sure Carter would love to see you while you're here." Cat interrupted, buying Barry crucial time to smile and take a few deep breaths.

"I don't think I'll have the time, dear. Did he get the savings bond I sent him for his birthday?" Katherine asked, examining her nails, as if savings bonds were the hottest new present to give kids.

"Hmm. Yes, he was so excited he showed it to all of his friends." Cat replied dryly, and Barry was wracked by a fit of silent laughter.

"Um, Ms. Grant, I should probably take my lunch break." Barry said, his voice slightly strained from trying not to laugh.

"Ah yes, Barry, I'll call if I need you."

* * *

Whatever Barry was expecting as he ran to the DEO, what he found was _not_ it.

In one of their multiple training grounds, there were tanks strewn about. A giant cardboard box that said "RT" on it was surrounded by military officials.

Hank cleared his throat as Barry ran next to him. "Flash."

"Director."

A few minutes later, Kara and Alex appeared in the fray as well, dressed more appropriately.

"Director Henshaw." A man with his cap low over his eyes stepped forward. He handled the file in his hands with extreme caution, and his simple movement put everyone behind him on edge.

 _He must be the general…_ Barry reasoned.

"General Lane." Barry was rather proud of himself and his growing deduction capabilities. "What can I do for Army Intelligence?"

"I need you to approve an immediate transfer." Lane replied in a clipped, no nonsense tone. "A member of your field unit to my command."

"Really." Hank drawled out slowly. Barry could see the tension start to build between the two groups of people. "And who would that be?"

"The lady in red." Lane spat, glaring at Kara. Barry felt himself tense up. There was still an overflow of Speed Force in his body, so his emotions felt heightened.

"Technically, Supergirl doesn't work for this organization." Hank clarified, gesturing to the DEO. "She helps out. Like a volunteer."

"If I had my way, no one would work for your 'organization', as you put it." Lane growled out. "Your covert operations could be handled effectively with my special forces and without _foreign_ assistance."

"Right, because your men are capable of surviving bomb blasts to the face and supporting the weight of skyscrapers." Barry snarled in his Zoom voice. He gave props to Lane for not outwardly flinching, even though all the men and one woman next to him did.

Lane couldn't develop a response to that, so he settled for glaring at Barry instead.

"Why do you need me?" Kara butted in before the situation could get any worse.

"We've been developing something. An anti-insurgent combat device. Project code named, RT." Lane explained, nodding towards the cardboard box. "I need _her_ help testing it for me."

"She has no choice. We have an executive order forcing you to comply." The seemingly shook woman suddenly found her voice.

"My legal attaché and my daughter, Major Lucy Lane." Lane said smugly. He looked at Barry, challenging him to say something.

"It's been signed by the President. You can take it up with her if you like. Unless you don't think you're up to it." Lucy grinned, holding up the contract.

"I'll do it." Kara said, giving Barry a warning look. "What do you need me to do?"

"Fight my robot." Lane said simply as the cardboard box opened up, revealing a red robot that had a tornado on its front.

"It's not a 'robot'." A man in a lab coat said frantically as he scurried to General Lane's side. "It's an anthropomorphic pseudo entity with combat capabilities."

"Jeez…" Barry whispered to Hank, who cracked a small smile.

"I stand corrected, Doctor." Lane said with exasperation coloring his tone.

The doctor's face took on a maniacal expression as he powered it up. "I call it Red Tornado."

* * *

Work was pretty uneventful for the rest of the day.

That was the only downside to Barry's job. Since he wrote the articles in less than a minute, most of his day was spent trying to fill time.

Well, at least he had game night to look forward to look forward to tonight.

As he and Kara left work together, he waved goodbye to Cat, who smiled and waved right back.

"So," Kara began awkwardly as the entered the elevator. "How's it going?"

"Good." Barry replied, furrowing his brow at the out of place question.

"Did…did Alura say anything before she left?" Kara asked quietly.

Barry's eyes widened slightly. "Yeah, she said she was excited to see us in a few minutes. I asked her when _we'd_ see her next, but I'm kind of glad she didn't tell me. If she messed up the timeline too much, she could wipe herself out of existence."

Kara winced. "I just- I wanted to talk to her."

"She wouldn't be able to answer of your questions, honey." Barry said consolingly as he slipped his hand into hers. "What's bothering you?"

"Do you think I'll be a good mother?" She asked slowly. "And like, you can be honest."

"What kind of question is that?" Barry asked disbelievingly. "Of course you will, Kara. I know you will."

He chuckled slightly as he remembered what Winn said from earlier. "So…are you actually pregnant?"

"Barry Allen!" Kara yelled, her face coloring. She hit him slightly. "You want the couch?"

"No, ma'am." Barry pouted.

"Good boy." Kara patted his cheek as a small smile made its way onto her face.

Game Night was in full swing, and Barry found himself grinning as Kara leaned into him and they both watched Winn and Alex struggle to best them in charades.

"Ok, it's kind of hard to beat you two, you're practically one person." Winn whined as he and Alex lost yet another round.

"Not true." Kara and Barry both said at once.

"Unbelievable." Winn groaned as he and Alex played round after round in vain.

After a while, they went home, and Barry found himself holding Kara in bed as they both got ready to sleep.

"Barry?" Kara asked quietly.

"Yeah?" Barry whispered back. Kara had been quiet a _lot_ today.

"I-I love you. A lot." She said, burying her head in Barry's chest. "And, in some really weird way, I'm glad we know have a daughter in the future."

"Me too, baby." Barry replied earnestly. He looked down at Kara's sleepy expression. Barry leaned in and softly kissed her forehead. "I'm glad we get our happy ending."

"Me too."

* * *

The next day rolled around, and Kara was facing off against Red Tornado.

"If at any point I don't like what I'm seeing, I'm ending this." Hank said plainly. He crossed his arms. "She may just be a test subject for you, but to the people of this city she's a lot more than that."

"Which I would completely understand, _if_ you had any authority over me." Lane smirked, waving at the man in the lab coat. "Dr. Morrow. You can begin."

"Thank you, General." The maniacal side of the doctor seemed to come out again. He powered up the robot. "Oh yes, this is going to be great. I highly doubt _Supergirl_ of all people is capable of even causing the slightest bit of damage to _my_ creation."

"Ok, begin." Lane instructed. Kara looked a bit put off at the fact that she was being ordered around by Lane, but she settled into a fighting stance nonetheless.

The fight was boring.

Despite the big talk Dr. Morrow had put forth about the Red Tornado, it was no match for a level-headed Kara who had been honing her martial art skills at Barry and Clark's insistence.

"It's experiencing system damage." Dr. Morrow said incredulously. He was clutching his controls tightly. "B-but…"

"The test is over. Pull the plug. Now." Lane spat. He glared at the doctor with barely restrained fury. "You better know how to fix this."

"Supergirl." Hank called, getting Kara's attention as the robot powered down. "You won."

"Meh." Kara shrugged as she walked back to them. "Kind of a waste of time, to be honest."

Lane waved his hand, and the military personnel began to clear out. He walked over the trio of Hank, Barry.

"It appears Supergirl was _stronger_ than we expected." Lane admitted grudgingly. His icy eyes bore into Barry's mask. "We'll be back."

And with that, he was gone, walking back towards his jeep.

"Wow." Hank said, shaking his head. "Some people just never learn. Any- damn!"

In the middle of his sentence, Hank's mug slipped out of his hands and crashed onto the ground.

"I got it." Kara said, bending down to get it. Suddenly, her eyebrows scrunched together as she lifted her hand up. "I-I'm bleeding."

Barry and Hank exchanged a look. Things just got a _lot_ more complicated.

* * *

 **2056**

 **National City**

 **Police Headquarters**

"And then he attacked the past version of the Flash, intent on killing him, but was immediately outmatched." Alura said. She held up a small plastic bag with a syringe inside. "Perp stabbed the Flash with this, but the substance has yet to be identified."

"Hm." Came the calm response of a man who was sitting across the desk from her. "Any other pertinent information, Agent Allen?"

"No, sir." Alura replied to the man. "Will that be all?"

"Yes. Enjoy your time off, and congratulations on another impeccable job protecting the sanctity of our timeline." The man replied with a polite smile than turned into a frown the moment Alura disappeared.

The man stood up, stretching slightly before making his way down to the holding cells.

"Mr. Wayne?" One of the guards asked, confused. "What can we do for you?"

"I would like to question the criminal Agent Allen brought in." He replied curtly.

"Sure." The guard said in a confused tone of voice. "Third cell."

The man inclined his head as he walked past him. He reached the third cell in a few minutes, and looked around before leaning closer to it. "Wake up, you fool."

Thawne opened his eyes and stared back at the man, his eyes burning with malice. "Bruce Wayne. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was to pretend to get my ass kicked?"

"Hm, doesn't seem like you had to pretend too much. If it wasn't for our little experiment, you'd be as dead as a doorknob right now." Bruce replied in an icy tone. "Did you get what I asked for?"

"Yes." Thawne growled, reaching into his suit and uncovering a vial that had a shining white gleaming inside of it. "You're lucky this vial could handle it. The Flash's Speed Force is more potent than we could've ever dreamed."

Bruce reached in and pocketed the vial. "Thanks for the help."

Thawne smiled ravenously. "Anything to hurt the Flash. I'll catch you some other time."

"Always a pleasure working with you, Eobard." Bruce replied with a smile as he made his way back up to his office.

He turned a knob on his desk, and the wall behind him turned, revealing a blood red suit with a white bat on the front.

He pressed the vial into a small hole in the front of the suit. It clicked in, and Bruce watched with fascination as lines of white spread across his suit.

It was almost time.

The public was too blinded to see The Flash for what he was- a menace. A menace that poisoned the fair city of National City. A menace that wore the mask of the hero to cover his depraved deeds. A menace that _needed_ to be stopped.

Bruce would save them all by _killing_ him.

And the public would love him.

For he was Bruce Wayne- he was vengeance, justice.

Most of all, he was _the Red Death._

 **AN: Phew, that was a tough one to write.**

 **This was the first real episode where Barry's arrival had changed so much it was like the episode was completely different from what it was intended to be.**

 **In the normal show, this episode explored Kara's relationship with James a lot more, and one of the key disasters that led to the villain of the episode was caused as a result of Kara's anger due to the fact that Lucy and James had gotten back together.**

 **But, Barry's arrival meant no James. No James meant no reason for Kara to get angry at Lucy, and no extra anger meant that the robot was just defeated- not forced to use its self-preservation that caused it to escape last time, meaning that 70% of the episode's meat was just not available- which was one of the other reasons this took so long to write.**

 **Another reason, well, I've sort of been on a streak of _reading_ fanfiction, too. There are some truly talented writers out there, and I've read more fanfiction this past month than I have in general.**

 **Anyways, I doubt you want to hear about that. Sorry if the quality of this chapter seems slightly lower. I'm pretty sure this is the shortest chapter I've written for this story, ever :(**

 **I think it'll be easier to bring the heat for the next one, for sure. Ah well, I guess not every episode of a show can be perfect.**

 **As always, make sure to review to tell me what you thought, and how I could improve- I'd appreciate it!**

 **'Till next time.**

 **-Maroon**

 **PS: A Midsummer Knight's Dream, I really enjoyed your kind words. Thank you.**


	7. S1, E7- Human For A Day

**S1, E7: Human For A Day**

 _My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. To the outside world, I am an ordinary reporter for Catco media, but secretly, I fight any enemies of Supergirl that she can't handle to keep her safe. There a lot of aliens that escaped from Fort Rozz, an intergalactic prison- and I am the only one fast enough to stop them._

 _I am The Flash!_

"How's she been handling it?" Clark asked curiously as he and Barry settled into a booth facing the road.

He and Barry were currently grabbing lunch after another tortu- er, training session.

Clark had suggested another place, since they were in Metropolis. It was a dainty little burger joint off of the street that his apartment was located on.

Suffice to say, the bored teenager at the counter almost fell out of his chair when two celebrities walked in and order a small family's worth of food.

Both Barry and Clark got their pictures on the wall for setting the chain record for _most expensive transaction._ It was a polaroid of Barry and Clark giving the camera a thumbs up with **$698.45** written across the top and signed by both of them.

Barry took a bite of his burger. "Not well. It's kind of concerning, to be honest."

"Well, that's to be expected." Clark admitted. He looked down at his own food with a somber expression, as if his burger was the reason Kara was powerless. "The loss of your powers in any situation is undeniably traumatic. Especially for Kara, because she's grown to lean on them so much recently."

"I've felt it too. That feeling of confusion or even that irrational fear that they're lost forever." Barry shuddered, remembering that one night at S.T.A.R. labs. "Not fun to say the least."

"I'm guessing her battle with the android drained her Kryptonian cells of their solar energy." Clark wagered. "You said it was military made?"

"Yeah," Barry replied, annoyance seeping in his tone. "Lane was a real dick about it too."

Clark smiled slightly at Barry's disdain for the man. "Yeah, he's got that lovability going for him. Bastard's been trying to take me down for years. I wouldn't put it past him to have built the robot with a material that can drain solar energy."

"Robot?" Barry questioned. He leaned forward, trying to do his best impersonation of Dr. Morrow. In a nasally tone, he continued, "It's an anthropomorphic pseudo entity with combat capabilities."

"Oh, my," Clark began laughing. "So what's she doing to try to get her powers back?"

"I think the DEO has her hooked up to a machine or something." Barry shrugged, popping a fry in his mouth. "They've been doing test after test on her. She's going a _little_ stir crazy."

"A little?" Clark scoffed. "I've known the girl since she got here. She's probably just about ready to snap."

"You're too right on that. Too right." He shuddered. Barry's comm buzzed. "Yeah, come in?"

"Kara's asking for you." Alex said plainly. Barry could hear the tiredness in her voice. It _probably_ wouldn't be the best idea to argue with her.

"For me?" Barry asked. He looked at Clark. "Alex said Kara's asking for me."

"Same time next week?" Clark said knowingly.

"You know it, Clarky." Barry said as he and Clark fist bumped. He looked around before he finished his food, cleaned his tray, put the trash away, and dropped a few dollars in the tip jar before he ran towards the DEO.

The teen came out of the kitchen and his jaw dropped at the now shaking tip jar.

"Don't ask me." Clark continued jovially as the kid looked at him incredulously. Clark shrugged and looked back at his food-there was a hamburger that had his name on it.

* * *

Barry got to the DEO, only to find Kara sitting with her arms crossed, facing the multiple screens the department had put up to monitor crime. Multiple red blips kept appearing on the map, beeping their way down the grid-like display of the city.

"She's been like this since her last test came back negative," Alex whispered to him as he walked in. She cast a worried glance towards the hooded blonde. "I'm worried about her."

Barry nodded. It made sense to him that she'd feel so down. "I'll take care of her."

He thought back to when he'd had his own powers taken- the helplessness and panic that seemed to settle in his body. He hoped he'd never have to feel that feeling again.

Barry sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as Kara stayed facing the wall, unmoving, even though he was sure she'd heard him arrive.

It was an echo-y building, after all. A man arriving in a bolt of lightning at thousands of miles an hour? It was impossible to miss, Kryptonian or not.

Barry wasn't _that_ surprised, though.

Kara, inherently, was an emotional person. It was sort of like her MO. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, and most of the time, that emotion was happiness. However, on the off chance it was sadness, she completely went down the depression trail.

When it rains, it pours, after all.

"Kara?" Barry asked quietly, slowly walking up to her. His frown deepened when she simply turned and looked at him with a blank expression.

"Barry," She started emotionlessly before a small sob broke out of her and Barry quickly wrapped his arm around her. "I-it isn't working! They aren't coming back!"

"It's okay," Barry whispered comfortingly, rubbing her back. "This kind of thing happens to, er, Superman all the time. He says you'll be back to normal in no time at all."

"What if I'm not…" She muttered to him dejectedly. Kara burrowed her face into his shoulder.

"You will be, Kara. You're just going stir-crazy because the DEO has been testing you all weekend." Barry promised, patting her head. He gave her a reassuring smile. "We'll figure something out."

"For now, you get to go out in the real world and see what it's like to be human for a day," Alex added with a smile.

"Might learn a thing or two about what it's like for the rest of us," Hank said as he walked over with a file. He pointed the file towards Kara. "How you feeling, Danvers?"

"Fine," Kara said curtly, still slightly hiding her face in Barry's jacket. Barry had to stop himself from smiling like a fool when he looked down and saw her. "If this is what fine feels like now."

"Kara and Barry are heading to work," Alex said with a smile plastered on her face. Barry inwardly groaned- she'd been getting steadily distrustful of Hank. Her smile was so fake Barry was convinced Hank would have no trouble knowing something was up.

Of course, Barry knew that Hank wasn't, well, _exactly_ what he said he was, but he was by no means a threat.

Hank and Barry exchanged a glance.

 _Women_ was the unspoken message both agents received. They both looked away with a small smile.

"I was just going to walk them out." Alex continued with a clenched jaw.

"Hmm." Hank hummed, his mirthful eyes still trained on Barry. He nodded slightly, turning away. "I'm off to deal with an unruly guest. Might need your help with him when you're done."

"Happy to, sir," Alex said as Hank walked away.

"Nice." Kara complimented. "I'd have no idea you suspect him of anything."

Barry had to stop himself from laughing.

"I have to play it that way until I find out whether or not he was involved in Dad's death." Alex spat, blissfully unaware of the musings inside Barry's head.

"Really? You're still on about this?" Barry sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that day. "Do you really think he's involved? You've served with Hank for years."

Alex pursed her lips as the trio walked towards the DEO entrance. "And all that time, he never told me Dad was an agent here at the DEO. Or that they were together when Dad died. E-Everything Hank has said to me has been a lie. I can't trust him anymore. I-I know he's hiding something."

"You're kind of like spies." Barry reminded. He shrugged. "You guys keep secrets for a living. Don't let one secret ruin everything."

"Speaking from experience, there?" Alex snarked back at him. "Don't tell me about keeping secrets when you didn't tell Kara you were the Flash for _months!"_

"Well, I can tell this isn't the kind of conversation that'll lead to anything fruitful," Barry said plainly. Dealing with emotional woman seemed to be something that he was doing more and more each day. "Ready, Kara?"

"Mmmmmm." She mumbled.

"I hope you think about what you're doing," Barry warned as he picked Kara up. A few moments later, he disappeared in a flash of white lightning.

A few minutes later, they stepped into the elevator.

Kara still stared at the elevator doors glumly, holding a small cup of coffee with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles on it. She barely registered when they reopened again.

Barry nudged her. "Come on, Danvers."

"Fine." She muttered. They continued to walk when Cat came waddling towards Barry.

"Cat, good morning." Barry greeted, inwardly confused. She was wearing heels that were a great deal bigger than the ones she normally wore.

"Mr. Allen, you have a visitor." She screeched, and Barry frowned. The only person she got _this_ excited for was Clark, and he wasn't coming to visit today.

Barry kept his expression steady. A few feet away, an identical copy of Oliver stepped out from inside a room- but was this _his_ Oliver, or this Earth's version?

"Mr. Allen. My name is Oliver Queen, and I would like to speak to you about your articles." Oliver said smoothly, sliding a hand forward. "It's a pleasure. May we retire to your office?"

"Yes, of course," Barry said, matching the doppelgänger's fake smile with one of his own. Oliver's grip felt like he was crushing his hand between two metal clamps. His instincts were going haywire- something was about to happen.

Oliver's gaze made him feel like he was being dunked in a bucket of ice-cold water. Barry stared back defiantly, channeling some Speed Force to his eyes. Oliver's gaze hardened when he saw the trickle of lightning run through Barry's eyes.

"Bye, babe!" Kara called brightly, a stark contrast to the dangerous thoughts going through Barry's head. "See you at lunch."

A few minutes later, Barry settled into his seat in his office, with Oliver sitting across from him.

His icy blue eyes bore into him. He leaned back in his chair and let out an exhale. "So…Barry."

"Mr. Queen." Barry returned hesitantly, mirroring his actions.

"I know you're not from this Earth," Oliver said simply. He leaned forward in his seat, and his sleeves rode up a bit, revealing a wicked-looking knife. "My only real concern is whether I should kill you now, or later."

"Interesting theory," Barry said in a relaxed tone of voice as he continued to lean back in his chair. He smiled at Oliver. "And why exactly would you believe that?"

"The _real_ Barry Allen died months ago." Oliver snarled at him. Pain flashed across his face momentarily. "So you're either the monster who killed him, or you're here for some other reason."

"Monster?" Barry tried, suddenly interested. Thawne? Zoom? "I'm kind of out of my league here, Oliver. Can you describe the being that killed me?"

"Yellow suit, red lightning." Oliver ground out.

"Thawne." Barry spat, clenching his hand into a fist. "Bastard is after me no matter where I go."

Oliver's eyebrows knit together. His posture was a _bit_ less hostile. He went from _I'm going to gut you like a fish_ to _I want to hit you in the face with a chair._

Baby steps.

"That person you described is an evil speedster named Eobard Thawne. Wherever I go, he comes back in time to try to make me as miserable as possible." Barry explained. "The only thing is, the one thing he can't do is kill me or make me lose my speed. Without me, he doesn't ever get his speed. I'm guessing if he killed me here, he doesn't exist. Were you there when he killed me?"

"Yes."

"Did he seem to like fade into nothing? Blue specks, screaming, face-melting. Probably a snide remark in there, too."

"Well, yes," Oliver said, still looking at Barry with a guarded expression. "So you're not, well, you?"

"I'm me, yes, but not _your_ me," Barry confirmed. "Wait, but when I looked up Barry Allen when I got here, I saw that he was still alive."

"You've been 'missing' for some months now," Oliver replied. "Your parents and well, others, have been worried sick."

"Parents?" Barry breathed. "I have parents?"

"Yes," Oliver said, standing slowly. He sighed, flicking his sleeve over the knife. His eyes met Barry's. "Your parents love you very much. They've been worried."

"Did they..know? About the Flash?" Barry asked tentatively, still trying to come to grips with the fact that his mom was alive on this Earth.

"They did not," Oliver confirmed. "The Flash, as you so put it, didn't exist. At the time of your death, you were just the blur, or the streak."

"Central City doesn't exist here." Barry butted in. He kicked his feet up on his desk. "So that means…"

Oliver sighed, running a hand over his beard. "We were a team. I taught you everything you knew…and it wasn't enough."

"Thawne is a mastermind, someone who spent years studying _me._ Not to mention, he's from the far future. I doubt anything you could've taught me would've been enough to stop him." Barry comforted him awkwardly.

Trying to support Oliver in normal times was difficult enough, but right now- phew, right now he was having trouble supporting _himself._

"So…what now?" Barry said, unknowingly voicing the question in Oliver's head as well.

"I doubt you'd want to go back to what you were doing," Oliver said, a semblance of a smile playing on his lips. "Unemployed, spending your time cooped up in our lair while your parents thought the two of us ran a business. A nightclub, to be precise,"-

"Verdant, in the east sector of the Glades." Barry grinned. "Yeah, even on my Earth I made my way over there once or twice."

Oliver bit his lip. "I can't accurately tell you how alike this Earth is to yours, but that was on point."

"Another thing- how do you know about the multiverse theory?" Barry questioned. "You said I wasn't even fully the Flash yet, so that means my speed wasn't up there, either. Mach 2 is how fast you need to go to create a wormhole, and I definitely wasn't capable of that when people still called me the blur. Hell, I wasn't capable of that until very recently."

"You had theories, equations," Oliver explained, a slight smirk forming on his face. "The second you got your speed, you came up with a dozen different things to test out."

"That does sound like something I'd do," Barry admitted. "I, uh, I don't think I'm coming with you, though."

"Why not?" Oliver asked curiously, the last of the frostiness in his tone melting away.

"I have a home here. And a girlfriend. And A job- a real one, at that," Barry said, gesturing around him. He frowned at Oliver. "Plus, I'm much, much faster than your Barry. More in tune with the Speed Force. Those theories, equations he made- I've confirmed them and can use them at a moment's notice. I'm not going to get taken out by an evil speedster, I can promise you that."

Oliver nodded, although he looked a bit put out. "I understand."

"I don't really have any people out to kill me, anyway. I just help the other heroes do their thing." Barry said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. "I understand that you must be disappointed."

"A bit," Oliver admitted softly. He exhaled slowly. "It's not easy seeing a look-alike of one of your closest friends come back to life, only to find out they don't really need you anymore."

"I get it," Barry said understandingly. "Believe me, I do. I may not be your Barry, the one you lost, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends."

Oliver smiled. He held out his hand. "To new beginnings."

Barry returned his smile as he grasped his hand firmly. "To new beginnings."

A few feet away from his office, Kara and Winn stood in the kitchen while Kara made some hot chocolate.

"What're they talking about?" Winn whispered furiously. He poked Kara's shoulder a few times. "Kara?"

"Winn, for the _last time_ my powers aren't back yet," Kara muttered, annoyance seeping into her tone.

Winn raised his hands, gulping nervously. "Jeez, you've been on such a hair-trigger recently…"

Kara turned on him, a scowl forming on her face. "Winn, I swear"-

"Definitely." She was interrupted as Oliver and Barry walked out of his room.

"I could arrange a dinner with them this weekend." Oliver offered. Kara noted Barry's stiffness at the prospect.

"Um, maybe," Barry said. "You have my number, right? Just give me a call. I have to see Cat for a quick meeting. Catch you around?"

"You got it, Barry," Oliver said. He inclined his head and he and Barry grasped each other's forearms. "I'll kick your ass some time."

"Doubt it," Barry said, a grin forming on his face. He gave Oliver one last wave before he walked away.

Kara walked up to Barry and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Who was that, babe?"

"A friend," Barry said carefully. He smiled at Kara. "And how are we today, Danvers? Any Cat freak-outs?"

Winn laughed awkwardly. "Flu season started and, well, you should see for yourself."

"Winn, it can't be that bad. She seemed fine earlier when she was introducing Oliver…" Barry said, his back turned to Cat's office as he walked back with Kara and Winn.

"Mm, turn around," Kara said cheerily. Barry scoffed at her and turned, fully prepared for anything Cat could have-

Barry's jaw dropped. What…how…it had only been an hour at the most…

"Told ya." Winn grimaced. "You have fun with…with that."

"Good luck!" Kara said, kissing his cheek and pushing him through the door.

Barry rubbed his temples as he surveyed the situation.

Cat's office was a _mess._

Her imported German couches were covered in boxes of tissues. That _Silk Isfahan_ rug that was worth more than Barry and Kara's apartment was buried under strewn containers of cough medicine and _Nyquil._

The multiple flatscreens pinned on her walls weren't showing the news- rather, they were playing different videos on how to wash your hands the right way and different steps you could take to avoiding getting sick.

"Um, Ms. Grant?" Barry asked hesitantly, afraid of what he might find.

"Barry!" She screeched, her head popping up from behind her desk. The sudden movement knocked a few canisters of zinc tablets off of her desk.

Barry looked at her oddly. "Um, is that"-

"Yes, this is a hazmat suit," Cat said, standing up fully and gesturing down at her yellow clothes. She looked around frantically. "But you don't understand, Barry! It's _flu_ season. Flu!"

"But, earlier"-

"I can _not_ get sick!" Cat continued her self-styled monologue, pacing around the room. "If I get sick, I will underperform. If I underperform, our stock prices will fall, thousands of people will lose their jobs, the S&P will take a hit and I will personally have triggered the next recession. Do you think I want to do that?"

"Well, no," Barry said awkwardly, realizing he wasn't going to get a straight answer from her. He stepped further back from her. "You make some very, erm, interesting points, Ms. Grant. So, is now not the best time for our meeting or…"

Cat stopped dead in her tracks, dropping the bottle of cough syrup she was holding to her chest like a newborn baby. She stared at Barry as if he'd just suggested that they both walk out of the office with no clothes on.

"Meeting?" She scoffed, pointing her rubber-covered hand at him threateningly. "I can't take meetings right now you silly boy! The first day is always the worst- I can't afford to have you talk and accidentally spray my office with a million microscopic killers! Gah, I can already feel my throat closing up!"

"I'll just, uh, leave you to it then," Barry said, bowing his head and walking out of her office.

 _What a strange woman…_

The rest of the workday was uneventful. Due to Cat's paranoia with interacting with anyone, most of the employees at Catco just did nothing.

Most of them had even left.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Winn asked Kara and Barry as they both began to pack up for the day.

"I think I'm going to help Barry and Leslie with their training," Kara said, zipping up her purse.

Ignoring her melancholy tone, Winn turned to Barry. "What's on the training agenda today?"

"We have to explore more about the Speed Force," Barry replied, leaning against Kara's cubicle. "Leslie has most of the basic physics down, but I think it would be beneficial for her to learn where her power comes from. I have a few questions of my own, anyway."

"So, like, you guys are doing the equivalent of walking into gravity? Yeah, okay…" Winn scoffed, but quickly changed his expression at the serious look on Barry's face. "Wow, uh, I literally don't even know what to say to that. Is that going to make her faster?"

"I'm not sure," Barry admitted, pulling his jacket on. "I don't know a whole lot about the Speed Force, either. If she really does want to go faster, though, I know how to do that, too."

"How?" Kara asked curiously as the trio began to walk towards the elevator. "I've never seen you do anything to yourself to go faster."

"Well, I haven't had to," Barry said proudly. "I haven't had a need to go faster than I currently can. Also, tachyons. They'll help her."

Kara cutely turned her head to the side, a confused expression on her face.

Winn laughed at her confusion. "Kara, tachyons are theoretically postulated particles that travel faster than light and have 'imaginary' masses. They aren't really supposed to be in use, I think _maybe_ Mercury Labs has some."

"Yep. I know how to harness them to make myself run faster. I haven't had to do it in a while, but I might get Leslie on that sometime." Barry explained. "In general, I was thinking about getting myself a lab of sorts. Hank and I have been talking back and forth about it."

"What would you even do with a lab?" Winn asked curiously. At Barry's look, he began stammering. "N-not that you couldn't find a use, I just mean like, with your whole, _whoosh_ thing I didn't really think you'd find a use for it."

"After meeting my daughter, I realized I haven't been keeping up with my _own_ training, and I need a safe place to perform experiments with the Speed Force. A lab would make it easier." Barry explained. "There's a lot of, like, theoretical physics that goes into what I do."

"Can you give me an example?" Winn questioned as they walked out onto the street.

"Time travel, for example," Barry stated, Kara's eyes widening at him imperceptibly. "For Leslie, if she wanted to time travel, I would have to have her run at a certain speed and release a particle into the fray."

"And then she'd collide with the particle and tear a space in the fabric of our world, creating a wormhole." Winn breathed. "Wait, you said if she wanted to- what if _you_ wanted to?"

"I'm much faster than she is, and my connection with our source of power is a lot purer. I can force a tear whenever I want." Barry said, nudging Kara, who was pretending to fall asleep. "Not funny, Danvers."

She stuck her tongue out at him. Barry looked at Winn. "We'll catch you later. I'll take her to the DEO. I think Leslie is already waiting."

He scooped up Kara.

"See ya." Winn began, but by the end of his sentence, they were gone. He huffed to himself. "Rude."

* * *

"We found a stable room for your little experiment." Hank greeted Barry as he and Kara appeared in the main entrance to the DEO. He looked a little worse for the wear, and Barry assumed Alex's constant distrust was starting to work the man's last nerve.

"Nice," Barry said, plopping Kara down on her feet. He ignored her pout, choosing to look at Hank instead. "Shall we?"

"Let's." Hank continued in a no-nonsense tone, walking towards the room briskly.

"Does he seem a little annoyed to you?" Kara whispered to Barry gently. Barry rolled his eyes.

"I think Alex may not be as slick as she thinks she is," Barry admitted honestly as they followed behind him. "I think I'd be a little annoyed, too, if one of my most trusted employees and friends all of a sudden started acting like I killed their dad."

Kara frowned but said nothing. Maybe she was starting to see reason. Hank stopped in front of the door and opened a small hatch on the wall. He was presented with a small metal contraption. Hank pressed his thumb on it, and the two pieces slid, opening up a keypad which he then discreetly pressed a few times.

It beeped a few times before slowly creaking open. "Jeez, Hank, there isn't that much security to get in this place." Kara joked, to which Hank gave her a grunt.

"The door seems heavy." Barry noticed. This time, Hank looked at him with a small smile forming on his face.

"This room was initially made to withstand blasts from unruly aliens." He explained as the walked inside. He proudly gestured to the room. "Designed it myself. It was the first major project I headed at the DEO."

"Hey, Bar." Leslie waved to him as he walked in. She was dressed in her suit. "Ready to get this show on the road?"

They were standing in a small room to the side of what seemed to be a gigantic rectangular building. The walls were made of titanium, and Barry could make out the lines of other metal reinforcing them.

"You know it." Barry grinned at her. He hugged Kara and then moved towards the adjacent room. "Step back for a minute, though. I'm going to need some space for this."

"How, erm, stable is this little 'tear' you're going to make?" Kara wondered, her eyes regarding Barry curiously as he zoomed into his suit.

"I'm not sure. The first one I ever made tore my city apart, the second brought me here." Barry admitted. He flexed his fingers. "That's why we're underground, and hopefully in a secure room."

"Well, it can handle the blast of a hydrogen bomb," Hank said, crossing his arms. "Just how destructive is this going to be?"

"Hopefully not at all," Barry replied in a hopeful tone, thinking back to the seamless wormhole Alura returned to the future in. "Step back. Leslie, let's go. Try to follow my movements."

Barry and Leslie entered the rectangular room. He took a deep breath and began running circles around the room.

30, 40, 50, 60…

The laps began blurring together as Barry felt the Speed Force in his system rise up, crashing inside of him. It kept building and building, piling up like water inside of a glass.

Leslie struggled to keep up with him but followed his trail of lightning. Barry ran past her, lapping her more and more as he began to build up the Speed Force in his system.

The waves began crackling outside of him, and Barry saw more sparks of lightning bounce against the walls.

He drew some more out, imagining it lashing out from inside of him. A small ball began to form in the center of the room.

Barry kept drawing more and more out, picturing a tear forming in the center of the room. A breach between space and time- a one-way ticket into the Speed Force. In his mind's eye, he pictured the water began to leak out.

Barry stopped, panting slightly as he came to a skidding halt at the edge of the room. Leslie stopped next to him, her eyes widening in amazement as the small ball widened and expanded into a gigantic blue tear in the room.

A moment later, it started pulling them both towards it.

"How are we going to close it?" Leslie screamed as she started getting sucked in.

"I've got it!" Barry yelled back. As he crossed over the event horizon, he held out his hand. Wisps of the Speed Force began to curl around his fingers, and pretty soon, the entirety of the tear faded back into his body.

Barry turned slightly and saw Leslie waiting for him. She gazed intently at the swirling colors that flew by them. "Is this it?"

Barry understood her amazement. The Speed Force around them looked a lot the final race in _Speed Racer-_ there were a lot of swirling colors moving faster than even they could perceive. It was a breathtaking sight.

"This is just the entrance, I think." Barry wagered. This was where he had been suspended in time before getting dropped into this Earth. "Let's walk on for a bit."

As the duo walked, streams of color pulsed out from the walls and provided a path for them. Out in the distance, a small house began to appear out of the darkness.

Barry's face was covered with a small smile. Leslie quietly followed him, peering curiously at his smile.

They reached the door, and it opened the moment they went to knock. Barry's breath caught in his throat.

"My beautiful boy," the Speed Force greeted, looking just like his mother the night she was killed. She held out her arms, and despite knowing it wasn't his mother, Barry allowed himself to get pulled into her warm embrace.

Nora pulled away after a couple of moments, a warm smile gracing her face. She held Barry's face in her hands. "I'm so proud of you. Come in, Barry. And, bring your friend. I believe we have much to talk about."

Leslie followed Barry inside the house, looking around in amazement. A few minutes later, Barry and Leslie were seated on the couch while Nora went into the kitchen.

"Barry, uh, do you know that woman?" Leslie asked, clearly confused. She looked like she was caught in the middle of a family reunion and had no idea how to act.

"Well, that's my mother. A version of her, anyway." Barry said awkwardly. He patted her shoulder. "The Speed Force often manifests itself in ways that are comforting. I'm pretty sure we couldn't wrap our heads around the entirety of the Speed Force if we tried if I'm being honest."

"No, you could not." Nora chimed in, setting down a few mugs of steaming hot chocolate in front of Leslie and Barry. "Whipped cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon."

"Just like I like it," Barry whispered to himself. He gingerly took the cup from the table, taking a tentative sip.

It tasted just like it did when he was a kid. There were some things about the Speed Force he would _never_ understand.

Leslie cleared her throat slightly. She nervously twirled her hair around her finger. "Mrs. Allen, or, uh, Speed Force, um, my name is Leslie"-

"Yes, we know," Nora commented, staring at Leslie slightly. "It's quite unusual for a fledgling speedster to find their way into the Speed Force. You should consider yourself quite lucky that Barry is your teacher."

Leslie grew uncomfortable underneath the scrutinizing gaze of the Speed Force. Nora turned to face Barry, a warm smile settling back on her face, replacing the neutral expression she had been looking at Leslie with.

"And Barry- it's always a pleasure to see our favorite speedster." She said, taking a sip out of her own mug. "We're sorry about the whole Thawne mess- we were already preoccupied with fighting off the parasitic Negative Speed Force."

Leslie's eyes narrowed. "Was that the man in the yellow?"

"Yes," Barry answered before the Speed Force could. He was getting the vibe that the Speed Force wasn't the biggest fan of Leslie yet. "He was taken care of. Also, that's no problem at all. I was just confused- the Negative Speed Force?"

"Yes," Nora intoned gravely, waving her hand. The house around them disappeared, and the three of them were suspended in the middle of space. "To understand the Negative Speed Force, and the perils it presents to us, you must first understand the concept of the Speed Force."

Barry could look around and make out swirling galaxies, asteroid belts. Gigantic planets circled around them.

Such shows of power reminded Barry that while he was fast, there were beings out there who operated on a whole other realm of power- beings that could snap their fingers and erase him from existence.

It was a humbling experience.

"The Speed Force is an energy field that connects everything in the universe together. Certain beings, such as you, are granted a powerful concentration of it- this excess of the Speed Force allows you both to do things others cannot." Nora explained, nodding at Barry. "The more if it you contain, the more ways in which you can use it."

Barry nodded back. "I've begun to uncover some more of my powers."

"Naturally," Nora smiled at him. She shifted in her seat. "The Speed Force as we know it represents the energies of all lifeforms, and those energies are fed into the very fabric of matter itself- that which bounds the galaxy together. Though only certain individuals can harness their powers, the Speed Force resides within all living things and can be extracted in a few different ways, but thankfully we have yet to encounter someone who extracts the Speed Force out of the unknowing public. That would be catastrophic. Certain speedsters are so attuned with it that they can feel disturbances inside of it."

 _Like me,_ Barry thought to himself. Nora's steady gaze on him gave him the impression she was thinking it too.

"The sad truth of the matter is, not everyone can harness their powers. As life often goes, there are people who envy those with the ability to do things that they cannot. Many years from now, in the future, Eobard Thawne was one of these individuals. Plagued by his inability to harness it, he studied the essence of the Speed Force itself. He learned everything about it, everything about _you,_ Barry, and he duplicated the reaction that gave you your powers." Nora explained gravelly. "It didn't work. The reaction, mixed with his feelings of anger and resentment, birthed something entirely different."

"The Negative Speed Force." Barry guessed, to which Nora nodded.

Nora looked at Barry with an unreadable expression. "Precisely. A parasitic, twisted form of the Speed Force. Individuals who use the Negative Speed Force draw their power from more intense, raw and darker emotions such as fear, anger, hatred, passion, and aggression. You've found that your powers work the best when you're happy, calm. The Speed Force gives its users a feeling of completeness, euphoria. The exact opposite is true for the Negative Speed Force. To even harness it, you need to give yourself up entirely to your negative emotions. Using it further leaves you dependent on it, and most Negative Speed Force user burn into nothingness, only to return to the Negative Speed Force and be reborn, cursed with the same fate."

"Is it possible for a user of the Speed Force to tap into the Negative Speed Force?" Leslie asked curiously.

Barry cringed. The fact that Leslie would even think to ask that question was troubling. He hoped the Speed Force didn't take it too seriously, or Leslie would end up as a grease spot next to him very soon.

After a few moments of staring at Leslie again, Nora sighed. "It _is_ possible. However, it is strongly advised against. The Negative Speed Force is highly corrupting. A speedster who embraces the Negative Speed force will instantly sever their connection with the Speed Force and be fated to forever continue down a path of despair, loneliness, and evil."

"Thawne may have been faster than you, Leslie, but that doesn't mean the Negative Speed Force is preferable to the Speed Force," Barry interjected, trying to clear up the tension in the room. He was unsure of how the Speed Force would handle the implications of Leslie's question and wanted to nip the issue in the bud.

"Yes," Nora said plainly, turning to smile at Barry. "The Negative Speed Force is not stronger than the Speed Force. It's simply quicker, easier, and more seductive. Any speedster who takes the time to harness the Speed Force correctly will find a way to best a speedster who harnesses the Negative Speed Force."

She paused, fixing Leslie with a stern expression. "And if a speedster encounters a speedster who has the taint of the Negative Speed Force in their system…it is their _duty_ to eradicate them."

Barry suddenly remembered Alura's trick against Thawne. "I saw my- er, our speedster from the future used a tactic that overloaded Thawne's system. He basically fell over, completely drained."

"Ah, yes. Alura is one of the greatest users of that particular power." Nora commented out loud, a pretty smile gracing her face. "Purification. The Speed Force is far denser than the Negative Speed Force, so if a speedster were to let their own into the body of a Negative Speed Force user and pull it back, the evil speedster would be drained of all power."

"Wicked," Leslie commented, mainly to herself. She could sense that the Speed Force and Barry had some sort of connection that she was hesitant to try to intervene on.

"The Speed Force has many uses," Nora said, smiling again at Barry. "I think you can uncover them all; you are, after all, our paragon."

"What does that mean?" Barry asked.

"Well, Barry, no being has ever been able to harness and hold as much of the Speed Force as you can. The potential you hold as a speedster is unbelievable. As such, you're our paragon. Our favorite, if you will. Not many other speedsters would be able to even enter the Speed Force as easily as you did, let alone talk to us like you are in this moment." Nora explained to Barry. Suddenly, her distaste of Leslie seemed a _little_ more justified.

"Train hard." She added, holding Barry's hand softly. "Harness your powers. Someday, you will need to wield the Speed Force with mastery. You will need to learn its secrets. Its power."

"I will. I promise." Barry nodded at her, offering the lookalike of his mother a hesitant smile. "I won't let you down."

"I know," Nora whispered, running her thumb over Barry's face lovingly. "I know…"

* * *

 **2056**

"Preliminary tests," Bruce muttered to himself, holding up a recorder. "Are in session."

He raised his hand, and his eyes widened in delight as it vibrated. "First dose of the Speed Force of the Flash of the past…is successful. Eobard's comments proved correct; the potency of this substance is remarkable. 5 mL is capable of keeping the suit going for a great deal of time. Nearing fifteen minutes. The whole vial, by my calculations, should last a few hours."

Bruce twirled the vial between his fingers. "Perhaps this will give me the boost needed to rid this world of their Flash."

There was a knock on the door. Bruce sighed, putting the vial back in the secret compartment in his office and close it with a clink. "Enter."

"Barry Allen?" Bruce's eyebrows furrowed. "What can I do for you? Are you writing a report on the station?"

Barry, now with graying hair and a salt and pepper beard, looked up at Bruce with a smirk. "Nothing of the sort, I'm afraid."

Bruce leaned back in his chair, confused. "Is there some sort of legal trouble?"

"Mm. You could say that." Barry said with a small sigh, yawning slightly. He cocked his head to the side. "I sense the Speed Force in your system. How long did you think you could keep this up?"

"E-excuse me? I think there's some sort of misunderstanding, here. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Bruce said, regaining his composure towards the end.

Barry smiled. His eyes began to glow white.

"Now, then, Bruce Wayne of Earth-128, killer of speedsters, user of the Negative Speed Force, and of course, my favorite, Red Death- you didn't really think I'd let you roam around my city alone, now, did you?" Barry intoned icily, his fingertips causing the desk to crack under the immense weight of his power. "I've had my eyes on you from the moment you found yourself on this planet."

Bruce scoffed, turning the knob. The suit jutted out of his wall. "Let's add your name to the list then, shall we?"

Barry grinned, standing up and pointing his ring towards Bruce. White tendrils of lightning ran up and down his arms. The lightning bolt on his ring gleamed. "The infamous Red Death, killer of all good vs. Godspeed- the ruler of the Speed Force. I hope you can keep up."

* * *

 **AN: And, that's a wrap!**

 **Sorry for the delay; college has been a really tough change, and my major gives me so much work that even when I _do_ have free time, I want to spend it away from a computer screen. It's been really, really tough, but I am now on break! Not only that, but I'm taking a way easier schedule next semester, so the daily updates will be back!**

 **Crisis is _crazy!_ I do love it so far, and I'm very excited to see how this all ends up.**

 **I'm sorry about the quality of this chapter, but I did want to get something out there before the New Year, just to reward those who have kept up with this story for so long.**

 **Speaking of which- I'd like to dress something. I got a review:**

 ** _The story suffers from the same issues a lot of them do, missing realism. -_ right off the bat, I'm sorry, but if you're looking in a comic book genre of pics for realism, you won't be finding it. There's nothing realistic about a man who gains powers from a lightning bolt- is there?**

 ** _Why do a bunch of villians appear suddenly near Supergirl? Like, it kinda fits with Star Labs and the particle accelerator giving people powers. But where have these villains been for the last few years. It is like Kara decides to stop that plane and all of a sudden every alien on the planet comes into her city. Makes no sense. It is why I didn't watch Supergirl in the first place. Too many inconsistencies._ This part, I do agree with. While I know it has to do with the fact that Kara revealed her powers, I'm not a huge fan of the Supergirl storyline, which is why I'm straying from it.**

 ** _Barry did not stand a chance agains a kryptonian and his punch. He would be dead, no questions asked, if the villain didn't REALLY hold back. Like way less power than he can use. -_ I'm making my Barry god tier- 'nuff said.**

 ** _The romance between Barry and Kara is so forced, it makes absolutely no sense. Also why did he stop caring about his pseudo-sister? Because the plot demands it. Horrible writing with that one so far._ Romance is not my strong suit, something I have mentioned and will mention again. I'm just not good at that. That being said, I don't see it too be too too forced. If you landed up in a completely new place after being suspended in air for a long time, wouldn't you also be a little more willing to date your best friend?**

 **That being said, please do have a wonderful holiday season! I hope everyone reading this has a blessed year, and thank you all so much for the continued support on this story!**

 **See you sooner this time (I promise)!**

 **-Maroon**


	8. S1, E8- World's Finest

**S1, E8: World's Finest**

 _My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. To the outside world, I am an ordinary reporter for Catco media, but secretly, I fight any enemies of Supergirl that she can't handle to keep her safe. There a lot of aliens that escaped from Fort Rozz, an intergalactic prison- and I am the only one fast enough to stop them._

 _I am The Flash!_

"I'll be right back, honey. I'm just going to use the bathroom." Kara flashed a smile at Barry as she got up from the table, grabbing her purse and walking towards the ladies room.

"Don't get lost, Danvers," Barry smiled back, watching her go. She turned around and stuck out her tongue at him before she continued her walk. Was that a little extra sway in her hips?

Barry pretended he wasn't checking her out when she looked back again with a knowing smile.

The two were currently at the most expensive restaurant in National City, sharing a nice quiet meal. There was a small classical band playing at the heart of the restaurant. A melancholic song floated throughout the restaurant, but no one really seemed to be paying attention. They were too interested in the person in front of them.

Barry exhaled slowly, looking around. Man, was he _bored._

He wasn't the biggest fan of stuffy, over-the-top restaurants, and he was an even smaller fan of dressing in suits, but it _was_ a special occasion.

With Alura's appearance, the Speed Force's revelations, and his budding friendship with Oliver, he realized slowly that in doing this, he'd been neglecting Kara. There'd been a whole lot of running around- physically and metaphorically- and the super-powered couple hadn't had a moment to themselves in a few weeks.

It seemed like Kara had a new threat to take care of every other week. Aliens seemingly popped up left and right, like a nest of cockroaches, and Kara was the city's resident janitor. As a result of the constant threat, she was growing her powers nicely, and usually managed to deal with it without Barry's help, but it still took up the bulk of her free time.

Barry, on the other hand, was exploring the true depths of his powers. There was seemingly no end in sight, as even though Barry picked up different kinds of powers everyday, he still felt like he had even more to uncover. Along with that, he'd gotten a sanction from the DEO to get started on his lab, and had to interview dozens of candidates for the assistant positions.

Sometimes he'd wondered who had it worse- Kara, fighting aliens day in and day out, or himself, interviewing Ivy League graduate students looking to "make a difference".

Probably Kara. Maybe.

Beyond that, there was even lesser time for romance. They got up at the same time and went to work together, but from there, the two had wildly erratic schedules. Half the time Barry would come home late to find Kara asleep in bed, and when that wasn't the case it was usually the opposite. And even when they were home together, they were both so tired, it was dinner and bed.

After a goodnight kiss, of course.

At the end of the day, Barry could count the amount of romantic things he'd done with Kara on his left hand, and he decided he wanted to change that. The holidays were coming up, and Barry decided he and Kara were taking a full night away from their alter egos- National City was without the Flash and Supergirl.

The city wasn't completely defenseless, though.

Leslie had grown enough as a speedster to handle all threats below that of a rogue speedster- but there hadn't been a disturbance in a Speed Force since Thawne returned, so Barry had his fingers crossed.

Tonight was a _true_ night off.

No comms, no suits, and not even any powers- Barry and Kara hailed a taxi to get to the restaurant.

"Okay, sorry, I'm back." Kara smiled at Barry radiantly, breaking him out of his thoughts and getting an equally happy smile in return.

Even though neither of them would voice it, the constant work had them both feeling a little haggard, and the lack of romance had put a very slight strain on their relationship. This date was _exactly_ what the doctor ordered.

"It's okay," Barry said, cutting into his last chunk of lasagna. He took a bite and held Kara's hand across the table. "I'm glad we got to do this. I missed, well, us."

"I missed us too," Kara whispered, running her thumb over Barry's knuckle. She gave him a happy smile. "So, what do you want for dessert?"

Barry laughed. It felt so good to be back with Kara. "Sometimes I forget how well you know me. Uh, the sundae looks good. Their tiramisu looks good. I'm not too sure about the carrot cake since I know you don't want that anything else that's fruit related"-

"I don't." Kara added helpfully.

-"so we can get whatever you're feeling out of the sundae and the tiramisu." Barry finished. "Or both."

"My hero," Kara winked at him as she signaled for the waiter to come over.

Barry eyes narrowed suspiciously as he noted the man walking towards them. This wasn't their waiter from before.

Their waiter the entire night had been a blonde woman named Margery- this was a tall, broad shouldered blonde man walking towards them.

"Why, hello. And what can I get this lovely couple?" He gestured extravagantly. Barry's trained eyes met the waiter's lowered gaze instantly. The waiter looked away.

"We'd like some dessert," Kara began. She then began to list off the desserts they wanted.

Barry inhaled slightly, channeling some of the Speed Force in his system to his eyes. The world suddenly darkened, and only the Speed Force around him lit up.

There were trace amounts in the air; small dots floating around his vision. He turned to Kara, and her entire body was glowing yellow- the solar energy in her cells that let her be Supergirl.

Most people had a small blue ball in the center of their body- about the size of a tennis ball. Leslie's was the size of a basketball, and a lighter shade of blue. Teal, almost, in comparison to the navy blue everyone else had.

Barry's Speed Force permeated his entire body- his entire torso was lit up white, and rivulets of it ran down and around his body like a nervous system.

He turned to the man, and was instantly confused. The man's Speed Force was about the same as everyone else's if not a touch smaller.

"Okay, I'll have that whipped up in a jiff," He said, tossing a laugh after his sentence. He looked at Barry. "Um, hey, . I don't know if you remember me, but I interviewed with you a week ago."

Oh…

Barry smiled at the waiter.

Yes, he remembered now.

Max Mercury. Graduated Harvard with a 3.98 with a dual doctorate in theoretical physics and aerospace engineering. Volunteered his whole life. Typical star-studded candidate, but Barry really meshed with his personality more than the rest of the people he'd interviewed.

Unlike most interviewers, Barry didn't ask the candidates questions related to the position or the field. Officially, the job was listed was a simple "assistant lab tech"- there was nothing in there about physics at all. The job was _officially_ considered an administrative position.

Barry left it that way on purpose- he wanted the candidates to come in knowing nothing about the job at all.

Barry would walk in, smile, listen to the candidate's opening introductions, make some small talk, and then drop the bomb.

He asked them a question he knew they couldn't answer.

He'd get them up to a whiteboard, and ask them to devise the Speed Equation and crack it.

This was something that Eobard Thawne, a genius from a century in the future, spent his whole life solving. It was far beyond the scope of a freshly graduated college student who had no previous knowledge of the Speed Force to grasp- _and that was the whole point._

These were people with egos, and Barry had a feeling he'd have to work around it. They all came from prestigious universities with near perfect resumes- it was true that they all held promise. However, Barry didn't need someone with promise. He needed someone he could trust; someone who wasn't afraid to work with no information- someone who wasn't afraid to fail.

Almost every candidate showed their true colors. After the test, they'd place the blame anywhere but themselves.

Every single candidate but Max Mercury folded under the pressure.

Scarily enough, Max devised the equation. He took his time, asked questions, and to Barry's delight and surprise, he got it. Cracking it was harder, and the interview couldn't last forever, so Max reluctantly gave up.

Barry was tempted to give him the job on the spot, but he needed to fill the other vacancy as well, so he couldn't just give him it on the spot.

"I do," Barry said kindly shaking the waiter's hand. "Max Mercury. How's it going? And please, just Barry is fine. I'm not _that_ old."

"I've been doing great!" He said enthusiastically. Max wrung his hands nervously. "So, I'll put that in for you guys right away, but, um, before I do, is there any update on the position?"

"Well, Max, I'm not really allowed to say anything until both positions are filled," Barry started carefully. He smiled slightly at Max. "But, between you and me, let's just say you won't be a waiter here for too much longer."

Max grinned. Barry smiled in return, and Kara cleared her throat. Barry figured she had begun to become annoyed.

"W-wow, that's-that's great! Um, yeah, I'll have that right out for you guys!" Max said, all but whooping and running away.

"Fan of yours, ?" Kara taunted, leaning forward across the table. A teasing light danced in her eyes.

Barry mirrored her actions, a crooked half-smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "You know, I'm a lot more focused on another fan of mine at the moment."

"Is there someone else here?" Kara wondered, faking a look of surprise. "Because last I checked, Barry, you're _my_ fan."

"You know, Kara, I think I might have to remind you which one of us is the celebrity here." Barry teased back.

"Mm, I could use all kinds of reminders tonight." She whispered, biting her lip and intertwining one of her legs around Barry's.

"You know, baby, I think I might take you up on that." Barry replied, grinning from ear to ear.

Tonight was shaping up to be a good night for the both of them…

* * *

 _Earth 12_

"Okay, you guys," Barry Allen of Earth-12 said, stretching on an abandoned street in the heart of Central City. "I'm here. You got my location?"

"Yes!" Cisco rang out in his ear. There was a brief pause. "You're good? You don't need to, like, stretch or something?"

Barry exhaled slowly, jumping up and down. "No, no, no, I'm good, I'm good. Let's take this tachyon enhancer out for a test drive."

"All right." Cisco replied, typing on a keyboard. "Location, locked in. Fire that sucker up!"

Barry clamped the tachyon enhancer on his suit. It hummed loudly, illuminating the white on his suit in a deep blue. "Hoo, yeah. I feel that. I _really_ feel that."

"That is the tachyon device powering up the Speed Force in your cells like a quick charge battery." Cisco informed, chewing on a Twizzler. "How do you feel?"

"Different." Barry breathed out loud. A rush of lightning flashed in his eyes. He took a step forward, and disappeared in a blur of yellow lightning. A few seconds later, he reappeared by the city's old mill. "It's definitely doing its job, that's for sure."

"Let's see how long it takes you to get back here, then." Cisco grinned at the prospect of one of his inventions working. "On my count. Three, two, one!"

Barry grinned as a surge of lighting indicated the start of his run. He zapped in and out all the crevices of the city, effectively lighting up Cisco's monitor of Central City in streaks of orange.

"Dang, this thing got you cruising!" Cisco yelled excitedly. He exchanged a hopeful look with Caitlin Snow, who was smiling softly alongside him. Maybe this was their way to beat Zoom once and for all…

"How fast does he normally go?" Iris chimed in from behind Cisco.

"Not this fast." Caitlin replied to her. "Not even close."

"Are his vitals okay?" Cisco wondered, his eyes still trained on Barry's blip. "Cause he's working himself pretty hard."

"Yeah, they're perfect. Even for him." Caitlin said, an obvious undertone of surprise seeping into her voice.

"Cool. It's like having a pit-stop attached to your chest." Iris said, causing Cisco to roll his eyes.

"Guys, I can go faster." Barry yelled as he kept flying down the streets of Central City.

"Do it." Cisco grinned.

Barry nodded, pushing the boundaries of his speed farther and farther. To his horror, a gigantic blue tear materialized right in front of him. Before he could stop, he ran all the way through, and the world closed around him.

A few moments later, he stopped running and skidded to a halt in the middle of the dessert.

"Oh, man." Barry complained, slightly out of breath. He noticed that his chest was starting to smoke a little bit. With a _shinck,_ Barry removed the tachyon enhancer from his chest- it worked a little _too_ well.

Before he could even register what had happened, a cloud of dust rose in the distance. Barry craned his head to see what was happening, when all of a sudden, a woman was in front of him.

"Halt." She said, raising a gloved hand. Looking at her more closely, Barry noticed she was wearing some sort of suit that was similar to his own- she had the same material, but her suit was white with a bolt of red lighting in the middle. Instead of a cowl, she had a white mask that covered the area around her eyes. "Who are you and what are you doing on this Earth?"

"Oh, uh," Barry stammered for a few moments. The air of professionalism around this woman was off-putting. "I was, uh, playing around with my tachyon enhancer when I accidentally ran into a wormhole. I'm the Flash."

"You? The Flash?" The mysterious woman said amusedly. She crossed her arms, as if she knew something he didn't.

"Well, yeah." Barry said, removing his cowl. He smiled and held out his hand. "Barry Allen."

The woman's jaw dropped. "Oh, boy."

Barry tilted his head to the side. "Huh?"

She tapped the side of her head- a comm, Barry wagered. "Yeah, this is a lot more complicated than we thought. It's not just a speedster…his name is Barry Allen. What do you want me to do? Uh huh…okay. Sounds good. See you soon."

"Um, is there a problem?" Barry asked nervously. His flight or fight was starting to kick in…

"I'm going to need you to come with me, Barry," The woman said seriously. "My teacher would like to speak to you."

"Your teacher?" Barry asked, confused. "There's more than one speedster on this Earth?"

"Yes. And he wants to talk to you, so we're going to go to the DEO- a government facility on this Earth," The woman informed him, holding out her hand. "Leslie. And, Barry, you're going to want to come peacefully. Because on the off chance _I_ can't, the Flash of our world would pulverize you."

* * *

A few hundred miles away, Barry rubbed his eyes tiredly as he sat down behind a desk. He placed his cup of coffee on the desk and kicked his feet up while picking up a yellow tab on his desk.

 _Another Barry Allen…_ he thought distastefully.

After a night of not so much sleep, courtesy of Kara's truly otherworldly stamina, Barry was rudely awoken by a call from a frantic Leslie who claimed she felt a surge in the Speed Force.

Barry told her to take care of it; he wanted to eat breakfast with Kara before he interviewed the last candidate. She called back a few seconds later, telling him that it was actually another version of him- _of course it was._

Barry was surprised at the composure Leslie showed, however. She took him- well, the other him- back to the DEO and Barry got to enjoy his breakfast with Kara.

Not bad, Leslie.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Barry called, standing up. He straightened his lab coat and greeted the woman behind the door with a firm handshake. "Welcome, I'm glad you could make it."

Barry's CSI skills kicked in.

First impressions- she was most definitely a recent college graduate. Barry could tell based on the slight creasing of the shirt she was wearing that she wasn't very good at ironing her own clothes.

Her light brown hair fell to her shoulders, and her bright green eyes shone brilliantly behind a pair of black glasses. The handshake Barry was presented with was strong, but not as strong as his own- meaning that she was confident in herself to an extent, but still as a whole unsure of what she wanted in this world or how to achieve it.

Or maybe she just had a weaker handshake. Barry considered both instances equally.

"Thank you," She beamed at him. "I was very happy to see that the job was still up. Um, right, so my name is Jessica Chambers, but everyone calls me Jessie. I graduated from CCU with my masters in Theoretical Physics with a concentration in Astrophysics. I actually also took some courses in mathematical physics, too."

"Interesting," Barry commented as he opened the tab and took a quick peek at her grades. "All As throughout your entire collegiate career. I'm impressed, Jessie. So, what are you hoping to get from this job? I'd imagine being a lab assistant isn't the most glamorous job on the market for someone with your qualifications."

"Well, I assumed that it wasn't just an assistant position," She replied awkwardly.

Barry's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "What? Can you explain that more?"

Jessie shifted nervously in her seat. "Well, you _asked_ for an assistant but I did some research and found out the only people applying were people who, while not experienced with work, had studied the field quite a bit. That, and, on my way in, I saw some of the machines and technology- no 'assistant' would be capable of understanding how to use the machines, let alone understand the results."

Barry smiled. Like Max, she had taken initiative rather than waiting for the interview day to come. Inquisitiveness and attention to detail- she was off to a great start.

"At any rate, you're right. I'm not looking for an assistant, per se. I'm looking for people who will delve deep into physics with me and conduct experiments that have the potential to change the world." Barry said, giving Jessie another polite smile. "To do that, you need certain qualities. And, some people are good at faking these qualities if they know they'll have to do so ahead of time. I was looking for someone who could shine without knowing anything."

Jessie smiled back, looking pleased with herself. "What sort of experiments are you thinking of conducting, ?"

"Barry, please," Barry said kindly. And now came time for the test. "Well, I'm not sure entirely, yet, but there is a way for me to introduce you to the kinds of problems we'll be solving and at the same time get a better understanding of the level you're at. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Barry." Jessie said confidently, although her posture displayed a touch of nervousness. "What is it?"

"Behind you, there's a whiteboard. You can have as much space as you want, and if you need another marker, I have plenty. Questions are allowed. Anyway, here's the problem at hand. We want to accelerate a mass with a set velocity beyond the max level it can travel at any given moment. No, you can't just change the velocity, and no, the mass won't burn and fade into nothingness. You may begin."

Jessie nodded and got up. She walked over to the whiteboard and picked up the marker. She paced for a few minutes, Barry could basically already see the cogs in her head turning.

"Does this need to be solved immediately?" She asked after a few minutes of pensive thinking.

"No. Just get it up first, then I'll tell you if it' s right, and then we can see about solving it." Barry replied.

She nodded and turned back to the whiteboard. Jessie began writing all sorts of things on the board.

Mass equations, determining the velocity of an object- pretty basic stuff. A few minutes later, she'd already dived into some of the hardest concepts of physics Barry had ever seen.

Linear vector spaces, scalars- scalars alone had Barry thinking this girl knew what she was doing. Her knowledge of them was almost on the same level as a speedster!

You see, scalars themselves were confusing to no end.

In physics, scalars often occurred either as real or complex numbers. A scalar value was basically a value that only had one component to it, the magnitude.

For example, speed could be considered a scalar value because it only has one component-how fast you are going. This alone made them invaluable to Barry's research into the Speed Force.

Barry had a notebook full of them which he'd been using to find the Speed Force necessary for certain powers he'd come to discover.

A moment later, she delved into vectors. If nothing else, Barry was marveled at the sheer amount of information Jessie was capable of regurgitating in a moment's notice. This continued on for ten minutes. Twenty. Thirty.

She was getting close; Barry could see the parts starting to come together, and he was baffled. Taking a cursory glance, he peered into the Speed Force.

The room faded to a dull gray. He focused on Jessie, and his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

Her core was more depleted than anyone he'd ever seen. The tiniest sliver of blue was noticeable in her stomach, but that wasn't even the disturbing part.

There were faint blue lines trailing outwards to a mass of darker gray- it looked like when you went to the beach and the tide poured into your sand-castle before pulling away.

Someone had taken her Speed-Force, whether she knew it or not.

"Ah," She said, stepping back from the whiteboard and closing the marker shut, drawing Barry out of his thoughts. "What do you think?"

Barry stared at the whiteboard in shock. Circled neatly with red marker, clear as day, it read: _3X2(9YZ)4A_ \- the Speed Equation in its entirety.

It took him weeks of hard work to muster up the equation- and it had originally taken Thawne an even greater deal of time to crack it.

Yet, she'd done it in a measly 30 minutes- just how smart _was_ this girl? Did her smarts have something to do with her drained Speed-Force? Had she once been a speedster?

"I'm incredibly impressed," Barry admitted, trying to clamp down on the growing suspicion that was running rampant through his body. "This test was designed to be nearly impossible. If you wanted to try to go above and beyond, let's say we needed to actually implement this equation and use it in the real world. How would you go about this?"

"Tachyons." She answered instantly.

Barry's eyes narrowed. It wasn't out of question that she'd get the answer- Max had been close, but had run out of time, so her passing the test wouldn't have been too alarming- but, instantly?

Barry stood up abruptly. Jessie was startled by the noise. "Barry? Is something wrong?"

"The speed equation, I could get," Barry started, leaning across his desk threateningly. "The Speed-Force deficiency, a little unusual, but who knows? It works in mysterious ways. It could have happened naturally. _This,_ though, I can't overlook. You're familiar with tachyonic enhancement. Tachyons aren't even in use in the normal scientific field yet- there are maybe four companies in the country that can even attempt it. As a college grad, you'd have no way of having experience with them- meaning you're not who you say you are."

"B-Barry, I don't know what you're talking about, please! You're scaring me!" Jessie started stammering.

"You could end up coming to the conclusion about tachyons, maybe. Instantly, though?" Barry made a _tsk_ noise as he pointed his ring at Jessie. "You can start telling the truth, now, or I'll make sure you aren't a threat. In my experience, speedsters who hide their identity are nothing but bad news."

Jessie sighed, and looked at Barry. The air of nervousness around her disappeared. "Okay, fine. My name really _is_ Jessica Chambers, but it's no mistake I came here."

Barry nodded. "I thought as much."

"Based on the application you put out, I was intrigued," She said calmly, although Barry could see her face grow more stone-like. "I did some digging. Who is Barry Allen? I asked myself. Interestingly enough, the moment _you_ started to take the spotlight, the Flash appeared. Now, funnily enough, you're opening a lab that will be conducting research in physics? Come on, Barry, that's child's play. You're the Flash- and I knew that before you threatened to kill me."

Barry relaxed his stance a little bit. He regarded Jessie carefully. "I'm sorry I threatened you, but I wasn't about to trust you after you passed a test no one without speedster knowledge could pass easily- you still haven't explained that one, by the way."

Jessie pursed her lips. "I-I don't really know how to explain it. When I was a kid, my mom and dad were killed by _something._ I don't know what. Whatever _it_ was came for me, but my dad stopped it from killing me. My dad put his hand on me and it lit up white, and all of a sudden I was knocked out and I woke up in the hospital."

Barry rubbed his temples. While her story was sad, it sounded flat, lifeless. Maybe she really didn't remember what happened, or maybe this was her way of coping with it?

"I found all of my dad's notes," Jessie continued on emotionlessly. "I read them over and over, digesting everything he knew about the Speed Force."

"And you want me to help you find this evil speedster." Barry concluded for her.

"I want you to help me become a speedster," Jessie corrected. She smiled softly. "I never saw my parents die, so to me, they're still out there somewhere. I want to find them. Working here could help me learn enough to find them."

Barry leaned back against his desk. Another speedster? Training Leslie had been difficult enough, but Jessie also had the benefit of knowing a lot of the mechanics behind how the Speed Force worked- or so Barry hoped.

Plus, another speedster could be beneficial to this Earth. He'd have to clear it with the DEO, but…

"Okay," Barry agreed, standing back up. "I'll help you. Allow me to reiterate, Jessie. If you turn against me, or try to harm this Earth, I'll wipe you out of history."

"Then we have a deal, fastest man alive." Jessie grinned, nodding at him. "When do we start?"

* * *

"So your name is Barry Allen?" The woman asked incredulously to Barry again.

Barry sighed- it was the tenth time she'd asked him this question. "Yes, whoever you are, my name is Barry Allen."

The woman giggled to herself. She turned to Leslie, who was still hanging around. "Isn't he so small? Like a cute little gopher, or something. A super-speedy little thingy."

"Mm, you seem a little extra chipper today. Had a good night with our favorite DEO agent?" Leslie asked suggestively. She shrugged. "I hope he isn't the fastest man alive all the time…"

"Mmmmm, definitely not. Even _I_ feel a little sore..." The other woman got a little quiet. She coughed into her hand. "So, uh, is he almost here?"

Barry ran a head through his hair. They'd been expecting someone for a few minutes now, and he felt like his insides were being twisted knots. Who was coming?

All of a sudden, everyone's breath seemed to catch. The lights flickered for a moment.

"He's here," Leslie said excitedly.

A flash of white lightning illuminated the room. Barry's jaw dropped as a man appeared in front of him so fast that he couldn't even see him coming. He was leagues above Zoom!

"Sorry I'm late," He turned to the blonde woman, who _flew_ into his arms and kissed him. After kissing her back for a few moments, he placed her down gently. "Jessie took a little longer than I expected."

"It's fine, babe." She said excitedly. "You have to meet him!"

The man in question turned around, and Barry's head spun.

Standing in front of him, was a man that looked almost _exactly_ like him. Barry could tell that this was this Earth's version of him, but he still found himself marveling at the sheer differences between the two of them.

This version of him was taller, looked stronger, and most of all- had a way more chiseled jawline. If it weren't for the similarities between their faces, Barry would've had no idea that he was meeting his own doppelgänger.

"And Leslie brought him in? Not bad, Leslie." The other Barry smirked, playfully nudging Leslie. "Someone's getting faster."

"Oh shut up," Leslie replied, her face getting red. All of her playfulness from earlier quickly melted into embarrassment. "He didn't put up a fight. Not that I don't think I could take him"-she looked at Barry with a frown-" not that I _don't_ think you're fast, I just, uh…yeah…"

"Mm." He said, the smirk dropping from his face as he regarded Barry with a curious stare. Barry swore he saw the other Barry's eyes light up white for a moment. "Not bad."

"Barry-can I call you that?" The other Barry asked, to which Barry nodded. "What brings you to this Earth? And, to make things easier, I'll call _you_ Bart."

Barry, err, Bart nodded. "I was playing around with my new tachyon enhancer, and I accidentally went too fast."

Barry nodded, a glimmer of a smile forming on his face. "Cisco made it, then. You're fighting Zoom."

Bart's jaw dropped a little. "How do you know that?"

And, why was he not afraid? Zoom threatened the _multiverse-_ even he should have been a little bit worried.

"Irrelevant. So, you want to go back to your Earth." Barry said knowingly. "Inter-dimensional travel on a tachyon enhancer, and that too, on what I'm guessing is a primitive version. Let me guess, it's fried?"

"Yeah…" Bart replied, shocked. "How could you possibly know any of that?"

Barry smiled, as if there was something he knew that Bart didn't. "I'm in tune with the _Speed Force_. Let's get you to my lab and we'll get you on your way."

Barry gestured for Bart to follow him.

* * *

Barry whistled to himself as he tinkered with his doppelgänger's device. It was a pretty easy fix- the tubes connecting the tachyons to the user were fried out. A little more insulation, and little zap from the _Speed Force,_ and it was up and humming.

He grinned to himself in victory. The first official _Speed Force_ related lab experiment was a success- and, decidedly, easy.

This was probably due to the fact that Barry had found a nice balance between the scientific and spiritual parts of his powers in the past few weeks. Sure, some aspects of them _did_ require meditation and self-reflection- stuff like discerning new ways to use his _Speed Force_ was wholly, absolutely spiritual.

It was like closing your eyes and mentally following a string down a dark road full of obstacles; it was hard, and sort of annoying, but more than often it led to a new revelation.

After that, well, it was scientific. Putting it into words was tough, but Barry had begun to liken his powers to pouring cups of water.

He had a certain amount of water in his system, and actions like running or _Flashtime_ required a fixed amount. Science helped determine what that amount of water to pour-Barry didn't want to overuse his powers in one instance and then be left out to dry when he needed them most.

And then, well, where did the water come from? Could he make more? Would there ever be a way to use less and less? Only science could help put the answers to these questions in terms that he could understand.

His "mother" would probably give him a vague answer and proceed to remind him of his duties as the paragon of the _Speed Force._

"Alright, there you go." Barry held up the fully-functioning tachyon device to his counterpart, drawing himself out of his thoughts. "That should get you home no problem."

"Er…" The other version of him took the device. He clamped it onto himself, and his eyes had a flash of lightning run through them. Barry nodded to himself slightly as he saw a light blue field around Bart's concentration of the _Speed Force._ It wrapped around the origin"Thanks. I hope this is enough."

Suddenly, a tear appeared in front of them both, and a flash of blue lightning illuminated the room.

"Found you," Came the menacing drawl of Zoom as he looked up at the duo, his pure black eyes reflecting off of the light in the room. Zoom held up his hand, and a burst of blue lightning sparked at his fingertips. "Who wants to die first?"

Bart grinned and began to run towards Zoom, the tachyon enhancer causing him to go flying towards him. Zoom simply batted him to the side with a flick.

Barry's eyes narrowed as he stood up, his lab coat billowing behind him. By his calculations, doppelgänger Barry should have been incredibly fast with the aid of the tachyon enhancer. He wagered that it would've made him _at least_ close to Leslie's level-but to see him get batted away like that?

"Zolomon," Barry growled out distastefully, pointing his ring at Zoom. It was clear that this version of Zoom was _fast._ There was no way he couldn't get involved. "I think I'm going enjoy this."

Zoom chuckled. "I don't think you will."

And they were off. The doors of the lab slammed shut as twin blurs went streaking out of them and into the street.

Streaks of lightning clashed in the middle of National City. People walking down the street screamed in terror as they saw the seemingly demonic entity that was fighting their beloved superhero.

Zoom careened away from one of Barry's lightning bolts, skidding to a halt in the middle of the street. He was panting from exertion. "Your…your Speed Force…"

"Mm, yeah," Barry said off-handedly, cracking his knuckles. "You're not done yet, are you Zolomon? I was just getting warmed up."

Zoom snarled, shooting towards Barry with a murderous expression adorning his face. Barry casually sidestepped his punch, and ducked under the second one, too.

It was almost laughable how speedsters fought. Barry hadn't even been training that long, but he could still wipe the floor with most of the speedsters he encountered in hand-to-hand combat.

Barry's hand shot out, grabbing Zoom by the neck. White lightning ran up and down his arm, and he picked Zoom up into the air before slamming him down into the concrete. Cracks emerged from the spot where Zoom landed.

"Pathetic." Barry all but spat, his arm back up against Zoom's neck. The lightning in Barry's eyes flicked red for a moment. "And what's this? Artificially altering your connection to the Speed Force? Oh, you never change, do you?"

Zoom thrashed against Barry's unyielding grip. Barry's face turned into a confused scowl. "How is that when you first arrived on this Earth, you had enough speed to demolish him, but now you're struggling to keep up with me at all?"

Barry took a deep breath, and the world lit up gray. He located Zoom's core, but his eyebrows scrunched together as he examined it.

It was doing something he'd never seen before.

It was pulsing. The lines that were connecting outward from the center began to unravel and travel backwards to his core, as if his very body was beginning to reject the _Speed Force._

"What are you doing?" Barry demanded, becoming increasingly confused at what was happening.

Zoom rasped out a laugh. He struggled to take in breaths. "Thawne sends his regards."

Barry removed his arm from Zoom's neck and watched in fascination and horror as it slowly went from white to red, as if someone had dropped some food coloring in.

He looked at the crowd that had gathered, and the police that were beginning to come closer. If Zoom tapped into the _Negative Speed Force_ there was no telling what would happen. "Everybody, run!"

A clawed hand smashed into the side of Barry's head with such ferocity that he went sideways through the nearest building, flying through two layers of bricks as if they were fluffy marshmallows.

Barry groaned, but got up fairly quickly. He tried to shake off the hit and remember his training- this was _real_ now.

Zoom wasn't just some wannabe speedster hopped up on speed drugs anymore- he was harnessing the _Negative Speed Force._ He was in a dangerous position. Negative speedsters had unknown abilities- he had to find a way to defeat him, or the entire city would be in big trouble.

"He was right." Zoom said darkly as he tracked Barry down almost instantly. He held up his hands, marveling at the crimson lightning that danced back and forth. "This is way better."

Zoom attacked in a barrage of punches that seemed to blend together. Barry dodged around most of the strikes; he jumped, ducked, lunged around the sheer amount of punches Zoom was throwing. Barry tried to evade Zoom's last punch, but crimson lines shot out of his body and wrapped around Barry's hand.

Barry screamed in pain. His hand felt like it was melting off. The angry red lines of the _Negative Speed Force_ started to seep into his system, roiling and churning against the white bolts of lightning inside of him.

"I'm going to kill you, Barry," Zoom said gleefully. His eyes began to glow red. "I'm going to kill you unless you kill me. If you even try to do anything but that, I'll slaughter this whole city like the bunch of pigs they are."

Bart came running towards Zoom and Barry but Barry painfully held up his other hand.

"No," He grimaced. "You can't handle this. Neither can Leslie-make sure she doesn't interfere no matter what, okay? Focus on clearing out the area around us."

"I'm not leaving you!" Bart screamed, but Barry shook his head. Zoom laughed menacingly and began to run towards Bart.

Barry grunted and got there first- he knocked Bart out of the way and smacked Zoom across the face with the back of his hand. He ducked under Zoom's next punch and rocked him with a _megaton uppercut-_ courtesy of Leslie's first run.

Zoom crashed into the ceiling above them.

Barry turned and looked at Bart again. He snarled at him. "Get out of here. Tell Kara to stay on her comms, I might need her help."

 _My god…this is brutal…_

Barry took the moment from fighting to mentally steel himself. This fight was unlike any fight he'd ever been in.

Bart nodded, and ran away. Zoom came back at Barry with the same ferocity as before. He ducked low and picked Barry up. Barry gasped out for air as he was slammed into the metal beam of the building with enough force to dent it.

His back felt like a group of elephants went tap dancing on it. Zoom lunged forward just as Barry moved to the side. There was a brief pause and then an explosion that blasted debris into the street. Thankfully, Bart and Leslie had gone to work fast, clearing out civilians and anyone else who could be hurt in the battle.

Zoom pushed on the offensive again, but this time, Barry was ready. The moment Zoom started his wind-up, Barry entered _Flashtime._ He deflected Zoom's punch with ease. Ignoring the blinding hot pain in his hand, Barry snapped his head into Zoom's and vibrated his other hand through Zoom's shoulder at the same time. As he reeled back, he stopped phasing his hand and channeled pure _Speed Force_ energy into his fingertips.

Barry screamed in exertion. He slammed into Zoom and picked him up. Hand still in Zoom's shoulder, he threw him down. Zoom let out a howl, his shoulder tearing right off of his body and then being cauterized by the arcing streams of lightning from Barry's fingertips.

He pulled back, and spun around. His leg connected with Zoom's head, and Zoom folded backwards.

Barry bit back a painful growl. His body was starting to hurt internally- he was nearing his limit with the _Speed Force._

He need to end this. Quick.

Zoom angrily stood up and _roared._ The surrounding area began to melt and crumple, as if the air itself was weighing down on it and then superheating it.

 _Okay, focus, Barry, focus…_

Zoom had just tapped into the _Negative Speed Force_ \- there was no way he was as skilled with it as Barry was with the _Speed Force._ The _Negative Speed Force_ was definitely more destructive.

 _We're enemies, rivals, opposites, reverses of one another._

Thawne was right. Barry doubted he'd ever be capable of anything like this.

Barry clenched his open hand into a fist. If Zoom wanted to destroy, wanted to kill…he had to use his powers to void that destructive capability. That was the only way to negate the detrimental powers of the _Negative Speed Force._

There was one surefire way he knew he could finish Zoom off for good while also enhancing the environment around him.

An exorcism.

He'd never tried one himself, and there was no way he'd know for sure if his body could handle it- but he had to try. Unlike Alura, Barry had no idea how much to use, or where to even begin to channel it, so there was only one way he could.

He had to blast through Zoom.

Mind racing, Barry concocted a plan. He knew at their current speed levels, there was no way Zoom would give him enough time to properly overwhelm his body. The only way Barry could do that is if Zoom couldn't fight back- but there was no way he could do that?

Or was there?

Before Zoom could react, Barry grunted, releasing the bounds between his body and the rest of the world. His _Speed Force_ gushing out like a waterfall, he quickly ran to the four corners of the room and left an imprint at each of them; sort of like a lightning rod- a glowing white ball of pure energy.

Barry ran back to the center and let his _Speed Force_ reconnect with itself. A white haze started to seep in the room, accompanied by a small crackling sound. Barry grinned slightly as the four corners started to glow small beams of light started connecting to him.

He'd just made a bastardized version of _Faraday's Cage._

Michael Faraday was an English scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism and electrolysis.

Barry read all about him as a kid. All about him, his experiments, but most of all- his inventions.

 _Faraday's Cage,_ named after Faraday, was an enclosure used to block out electromagnetic fields. The cage hinged on the requirement that an external electrical field caused the electric charges within the cage's conducting material to be distributed so that they would then cancel out the field's effect in the cage's interior.

What Thawne said all those years ago inspired Barry- what if they were true, polar opposites?

Barry knew the _Speed Force_ was strong enough as an electrical conduit to emit its own magnetic field.

If the _Negative Speed Force_ was really the opposite of his own, it would work well enough to cancel out against a strong magnetic current.

It was sort of a dangerous gamble, but he knew that he had to do something drastic or this battle would get out of hand soon.

If his plan worked, Zoom and he would both lose all their speed. Then, the remnants of the _Speed Force_ Barry was using as a magnetic field would come back to him, and he'd finish Zoom for good.

Zoom began running at him again, but the red lightning quickly flickered out, and Barry felt his own speed drain out. A strong, vacuum-like feeling blasted the two of them backwards a little bit,

Before Zoom could say a word, Barry covered the ground between the two and knocked him to the ground with a well-placed right hook. The _Speed Force_ sucked back into Barry's body, and he grabbed Zoom.

"You're never hurting anyone again," Barry spat, readying himself. He thought about Alura- what had she done?

His hands blurred forward, smashing into Zoom's body. With each touch, bits of _Speed Force_ flooded into his system, coiling and crashing with the now minuscule ball of _Negative Speed Force_ residing inside.

Barry placed his hands on his head, and pure white began to flow from his fingertips. He closed his eyes, focusing the energy to insulate Zoom's volatile core. The next step would be to release the energy, knocking him out and leaving him weak, but Barry wasn't feeling generous.

No, Zoom had shown time and time again that all he cared about was getting more speed. He couldn't risk anything like this ever happening again- there was just too much at stake.

Barry let Zoom fall to the ground, his chest rising and falling slowly.

If his theory was right, Zoom would never be able to harness either force again. His body itself would eternally torment itself-the positive and negative energies would never cease to crash against each other, leaving him access to neither.

Barry felt like curling into a ball and passing out, but he could hear the sirens outside. He ripped Zoom's mask off and slung him over his shoulder.

He walked out of the hole that Zoom put through the building, only to be be blinded by a spotlight.

Jeez, the DEO got involved?

"Flash." He heard Hank's voice behind the blinding light. He could barely make out the hordes of people standing behind him.

"What happened!" An unknown voice screamed.

"Yeah, who was that?" A second rang out.

"Did you get him?"

"Citizens of National City," Barry said in a voice that sounded a lot more invincible than he felt at the moment. "The threat has been averted."

Thunderous applause started to ring out, but Barry raised his hand to quiet it. He looked out at the sea of people, innocent souls in the-no, in _his_ city.

"Things aren't always what they seem. Our fears can play tricks on us, making us afraid to change course, afraid to move on, but usually, hidden behind our fears are second chances waiting to be seized, second chances at life, at glory, at family, at love." Barry nodded to them. "And these opportunities don't come around every day, so when they do, we have to be brave, take a chance, and grab them while we can. Don't let fear ever stop you. As long as I'm here, you _will_ be protected. You will be safe. So go- kiss that girl, ace that test, get that jacket. Don't ever stop moving forward."

 **AN: Phew! Not much to say about this one- or well, I'm sure I do have a lot to say, but my mind is drawing blanks right now.**

 **Lots of setting up this chapter, eh? Don't worry, I plan to pay it all off in the arc I'm making for this season. I've been meaning to ask about that, by the way. When this season ends, do you guys want another one? I'd never thought about it, but I'd love to hear from you guys. 'Cause, believe me, if you want another season, _there will be another season._**

 **Also, I'd love to hear from you guys in general. I know it's been a while- but I'm home now, for good, since Corona has lovingly decided to give me the rest of the semester off. I missed you guys though-all 311 of you. How have you been? Has anything changed in my absence? What're you guys doing the pass your days?**

 **Thank you for your support- always. Please tell me what you thought about this chapter, too. Writing after a long break always feels a bit off.**

 **And of course-stay safe, stay kind. Especially in these trying times. Help a friend. Help a neighbor. Help a stranger.**

 **Yours, _always,_**

 **-Maroon**


	9. S1, E9- Blood Bonds

**S1, E9: Blood Bonds**

 _My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. To the outside world, I am an ordinary reporter for Catco media, but secretly, I fight any enemies of Supergirl that she can't handle to keep her safe. There a lot of aliens that escaped from Fort Rozz, an intergalactic prison- and I am the only one fast enough to stop them._

 _I am The Flash!_

 _ **PREVIOUSLY, ON WORLD'S APART:**_

No comms, no suits, and not even any powers- Barry and Kara hailed a taxi to get to the restaurant.

"Okay, sorry, I'm back." Kara smiled at Barry radiantly, breaking him out of his thoughts and getting an equally happy smile in return.

Even though neither of them would voice it, the constant work had them both feeling a little haggard, and the lack of romance had put a very slight strain on their relationship. This date was exactly what the doctor ordered.

"It's okay," Barry said, cutting into his last chunk of lasagna. He took a bite and held Kara's hand across the table. "I'm glad we got to do this. I missed, well, us."

"I missed us too," Kara whispered, running her thumb over Barry's knuckle. She gave him a happy smile. "So, what do you want for dessert?"

* * *

"Oh, uh," Barry stammered for a few moments. The air of professionalism around this woman was off-putting. "I was, uh, playing around with my tachyon enhancer when I accidentally ran into a wormhole. I'm the Flash."

"You? The Flash?" The mysterious woman said amusedly. She crossed her arms as if she knew something he didn't.

"Well, yeah," Barry said, removing his cowl. He smiled and held out his hand. "Barry Allen."

* * *

"I want you to help me become a speedster," Jessie corrected. She smiled softly. "I never saw my parents die, so to me, they're still out there somewhere. I want to find them. Working here could help me learn enough to find them."

Barry leaned back against his desk. Another speedster? Training Leslie had been difficult enough, but Jessie also had the benefit of knowing a lot of the mechanics behind how the Speed Force worked- or so Barry hoped.

Plus, another speedster could be beneficial to this Earth. He'd have to clear it with the DEO, but…

"Okay," Barry agreed, standing back up. "I'll help you. Allow me to reiterate, Jessie. If you turn against me or try to harm this Earth, I'll wipe you out of history."

"Then we have a deal, the fastest man alive." Jessie grinned, nodding at him. "When do we start?"

* * *

"You're never hurting anyone again," Barry spat, readying himself. He thought about Alura- what had she done?

His hands blurred forward, smashing into Zoom's body. With each touch, bits of Speed Force flooded into his system, coiling and crashing with the now minuscule ball of Negative Speed Force residing inside.

Barry placed his hands on his head, and pure white began to flow from his fingertips. He closed his eyes, focusing the energy to insulate Zoom's volatile core. The next step would be to release the energy, knocking him out and leaving him weak, but Barry wasn't feeling generous.

No, Zoom had shown time and time again that all he cared about was getting more speed. He couldn't risk anything like this ever happening again- there was just too much at stake.

Barry let Zoom fall to the ground, his chest rising and falling slowly.

If his theory was right, Zoom would never be able to harness either force again. His body itself would eternally torment itself-the the positive and negative energies would never cease to crash against each other, leaving him access to neither.

* * *

 **AND NOW….**

Barry and Kara were at their apartment, with Winn, Leslie, and Alex in tow. Everything seemed to be winding down as the holidays neared, and the five friends had gotten together for a game night. Well, it was more like game afternoon, considering the fact that the only stop they'd made after work was to get pizza and ice cream.

Cat had been feeling "generous". In truth, she had been tired from a board meeting and adamantly said she didn't want to get wrinkles from stress, so she let everyone go home early.

Unfortunately, the criminals hadn't gotten the memo. Just as soon Kara had rolled the dice on her turn in _Monopoly,_ four of them got an alert on their phones.

"Can you guys _please_ get me on that 'hey the city is in danger and we might die' notification list?" Winn said indignantly. "I work at the DEO, too!"

"Well, Winn, unless you can stop an armed robbery, I think you're going to have to leave it to the professionals," Alex replied, patting his arm in consolation.

"You guys can take this one," Leslie yawned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Cat had a very long board meeting today. I'm pooped."

"Got it!" Barry said, standing up and stretching. "I've barely gotten to run lately."

Kara raised an eyebrow at him as she stood up as well. "Nope. You're sitting here and letting _me_ handle it, wonder boy."

"Do I have to?" Barry whined, crossing his arms. "I could be in and out in a second!"

"Yes," Kara said, mirroring his actions. She had a serious look on her face. "Don't try me, Barry. You were just in one of the toughest fights I've seen. You're not going."

"Speed-healing!" Barry reminded, raising his hand with a smile. "Be back in a _flash,_ Danvers."

Winn whooped at the pun, but Kara didn't look entertained. She got closer to Barry. "You go out on the street, and I'm not wearing what I bought the other day."

Barry's hand faltered. You see, one of Kara's not-so-secret Christmas presents for Barry was something she'd gotten from _Victoria's Secret._

Did Barry know what it was- no, of course not. Was he eager to find out? Yep.

Kara didn't tell him anything except that it was Christmas related...but that was more than enough to make him look forward to it.

"You wouldn't," Barry said weakly. Kara grinned, patting his cheek- she had him right where she wanted him. He pouted at her. "That's so unfair!"

"You better stay here, then. Come _on,_ Barry…you know you don't want to give _that_ up…" Kara winked as she slowly opened her top.

Game, set, match.

Barry let his arm fall to his side in defeat. Was the top opening overkill? Yes! Did Barry care? Nope.

"Fine, fine. I'll stay here."

Kara grinned. She stopped opening her top slowly and just ripped it open while she hopped out of her jeans.

After another wink at Barry, she hopped out of the window and went flying into the night sky.

"Point, Danvers," Barry muttered to himself, wistfully staring outside of the window.

"Okay, I'm going to pretend I didn't see or hear any of that," Leslie said, and the other members of the game quickly voiced their agreement.

"Hey, Barry. You never told us about that Zoom guy anyway." Winn said, thinking back on what Kara brought up. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, slightly rolling back and forth out of boredom. "What was he? I thought you were the fastest man alive?"

"Well, I am," Barry said truthfully, rubbing his chin in thought. Zoom _had_ been close, that was for sure, but once he'd gotten accustomed to his power, Barry didn't have too much trouble making up a plan to get rid of him. "He was close, no doubt. The reason the fight was so dangerous was because of his destructive power, not his speed. Fighting a villain is harder than fighting a hero because when you're fighting for a villain you also have to account for the lives of those around you."

"What happened to him anyway?" Leslie asked curiously. Across from her Winn, yelped as a little bit of sauce accidentally fell off of his plate and onto his slacks. "You looked like you put him through hell. Was he even alive?"

"Yes, Leslie, he was alive. We don't _kill_ unless we have to," Barry stressed importantly. He knew that the day would come where Leslie had to take a life, but he was trying to make sure it didn't happen anytime soon. "I cut him off from both forces, so no he'll always be just a regular guy. I let the other me take him back to his Earth."

"No complaints from me," Winn said, shaking his head. He wiped at his pants with a napkin. "That dude was a psycho. I'm just glad you were here, all things considered. If he went toe to toe with Kara, half the city would be destroyed. You kept it down to the side of a few buildings, and you fixed them up right after, too."

"Well, I've had my powers much longer than Kara," Barry admitted truthfully. "Actually, I guess I've been actively using them longer since she was born with hers."

"So, you can do that stuff too-you just choose not to?" Alex questioned, cracking open a carton of ice cream and digging in. "It would be pretty incredible if you could level a building."

"Well, yes and no. If I really wanted to, I could run back and forth and create time mirages, and then have all of those mirages simultaneously hurl lightning bolts. That would be more destructive, I think." Barry wondered out loud. He smiled at his friends. "Not that I would."

"You said he was harnessing a different force?" Winn asked curiously. He took a sip of his soda. "How many are there?"

"Yep. He was harnessing the reverse version of mine." Barry confirmed, pausing briefly to take a bite of his slice of pizza. "As far as _I_ know, there are only two."

"And anyone can harness them?" Winn prompted, shuffling his property cards.

"Yeah," Barry replied, a little confused. Realization dawned in his eyes. "Oh. Oh, no, listen, buddy, I'm not giving you powers."

"Worth a shot." Winn murmured to himself as Alex and Leslie laughed loudly.

"So, it's true, then," Alex understood, raising her eyebrows. "You could construct anyone into a speedster."

" _Theoretically,_ sure. I'm working on a procedure to give Jessie her speed, and her core is the smallest I've ever seen, so I see no reason why not." Barry shrugged, leaning back against the couch. "I won't just be doing it to _anyone,_ though. There's a balance to be kept."

"Right, a cosmic balance…oooh…I'm Barry and I'm a wizard…" Winn said in a skeptical tone, waving his arms around. Barry raised an eyebrow as he disappeared in a burst of lightning. Winn and Alex began to laugh, but, a few moments later, Winn squeaked.

Barry whistled innocently as he returned to his seat. The whole room got quiet as they took a closer look at Winn.

He was sitting in just his underwear, and his clothes were on the couch behind him. There was a wizard hat on top of his head, and a small wand and stuffed rabbit in his hands.

The room roared in laughter as Winn rushed to get his clothes back on.

"Not…fair…" Winn said, slightly out of breath as he tried to pull his pants back on in record time. "It was just a joke!"

"You're lucky he got to you before me," Leslie said as she ate a slice of pizza. She winked at Winn. "I was going to get you a live bunny."

Winn blanched as Kara flew back in through the window. "That was pretty easy. Just some nutcase with his motorcycle."

As the rest of them started talking to Kara about her arrest, Barry reached in his pocket to get his phone. It buzzed a few more times.

He looked at the screen. Oliver was calling him.

"Oliver, hey," Barry said as he answered the call, frowning to himself. Was something wrong? "What's up?"

Oliver and Barry met once a week- the same time as Clark and Barry met. The three of them developed a strenuous workout routine and went through it together. Afterward, they all got some food and called it a day. Outside of that and daily texting, they didn't talk- especially on the phone.

"Barry, hello," Oliver replied. There was a slight pause. "So, for some reason, your parents are dining at my home tonight. I think my mother invited them, or something. She told me to extend the invitation to you as well."

Barry chuckled. "Yeah, so are you _inviting_ me or…?"

"If you aren't here, I'll kick your ass," Came the sarcastic reply. Barry could imagine the grin on Oliver's face. "Oh, and, I'll be bringing a date, so you might as well bring Kara."

"Ah, it'll be nice to see Felicity," Barry replied knowingly, grinning when he heard Oliver's tired sigh. "What's the dress code?"

"We don't have a _dress code,_ Barry. We're not some high school dance that you'd have to wear certain clothes to get in." Oliver said exasperatedly. "We're the Queens."

There were a few moments of silence.

"So…suit and tie?"

There were a few moments of silence. "Yeah, probably."

"Mm," Barry said as he rested next to the freshly changed Kara, who began to lean against him. "What time? Is this one of those Christmas things? Do we have to bring presents?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'd bring some," There was another lull. "You _have_ been talking to your parents, right?"

"Well, yeah," Barry replied defensively. It wasn't a lie! He _had_ been calling them close to every other day, and they even _Facetimed_ on occasion. As far as Barry could tell, nearly everything about his childhood was the same, except for his friendship with Oliver. "I haven't seen them in person yet, but I think that's understandable. You do live far away."

"For you, I live a few seconds away," Oliver said pointedly. "Or well, an hour away, if I get you a car."

There it was again. For the last month or so, Oliver had been dropping not-so-secret hints that he was going to get Barry a car.

It started as a joke, at first, with Clark and Oliver teasing Barry about how he was the only one without a car until Oliver realized he could get Barry one without even taking a noticeable hit to his fortune.

After that, it was a running joke between the two of them. Sometimes, randomly, Oliver would just send a picture of a car to Barry. He often drew one on a piece of paper for the sole purpose of sending it to Barry, just to annoy him.

The biggest straw was about a week ago when the Arrow caught a bank robber and pinned him to the wall with a car design.

What a _waste_ of arrows.

"I swear, I don't need a car, you honestly don't have to get me one!" Barry argued for what felt like the millionth time, even though he knew it was futile if Oliver had already put his mind to it. He raised his eyebrows at Oliver's accusatory tone. "I haven't told them _that_ yet. I don't think I will. You're not going to concoct some plan to reveal my powers to them, are you?"

"And expose my own hero identity in the process? No way," Oliver placated instantly. Barry shuddered to think about what would ever happen if Moira found out Oliver was the Arrow. "Dinner starts at seven."

"Alright, see you then."

"See you."

He threw his phone on the couch behind him. Barry raised an eyebrow at the game as he held Kara a little tighter.

Winn was clutching wads of yellow bills to his chest. "Wait, I thought you said I wouldn't have to pay on any of your properties for _four_ rounds if I gave you my San Francisco for your Dallas!"

Leslie was smirking. "Nope, just three. Pay up!"

"B-but, wait-Alex, help me out! I helped you out that one time!" Winn cried indignantly. He pouted at Alex. "Please?"

"Mmm, I don't remember that," Alex said as she buffed her nails. She defensively moved her money closer to herself, as if she was expecting Winn to reach across the board and yank some for himself. "Are you sure it was me?"

"Who was that, Barry?" Kara asked as she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled closer, drawing his attention away from the argument that was currently unfolding.

Barry smiled softly to himself. She smelled like holly and nutmeg with a hint of burnt metal mixed in. "Oliver. He invited us to dinner with my parents and his family tonight."

"Oh? Looks like we're cutting game afternoon short, then." Kara replied knowingly, leaning further back so that the two were making eye contact. "Do we need to bring things? I know Oliver's family is rich."

"Yeah, he said it was one of those Christmas things," Barry answered, his hand gently running through Kara's hair. "For his parents, we can probably bring a bottle of _something_ and for his sister, I'll probably just bring, uh, a bracelet."

She made a small noise of agreement, before getting more serious. "And your parents?"

There was a small, underlying tone that Barry just barely picked upon. He lovingly kissed the top of Kara's head. "It's okay, they're going to love you! Joe and my, well, real dad did. I promise it'll be fine. As for them, I know just the thing."

"Which is?" Kara trailed off.

"A framed picture of me when I opened up the lab," Barry replied proudly. It was the perfect present! "Their whole lives, they just wanted to see me make something of myself, and I think that would be a great thing for them to see. Also, chocolate. Lots of chocolate."

"What do you think Oliver's going to get us?" Kara asked, smiling lightly as Winn, Leslie, and Alex continued their argument.

Barry shook his head in frustration. "Ugh, knowing Oliver, it could be anything from a gift card to a new convertible. I'd put my money on some sort of transportation, to, as he puts it, 'visit him more often'."

"He'd do that?" Kara asked incredulously.

"Oh, yeah. He _is_ a billionaire, and his family is so loaded they could probably buy a car every day and still be in the top 1%. They're old money through and through. Plus, ever since that night at _Bercellis_ I told you about, he's been hinting at it like crazy."

"No offense, babe, but how did your family become friends with his if that's the case? I know your family isn't poor, but…"

"No, no, I get it," Barry assured her with a smile. "Based on what he tells me, they were driving nearby when his sister got ill. My dad happened to be outside when they came to ask for help, and, well, he's a doctor."

"That's such a coincidence," Kara noted. Barry nodded, trying to stop his brain from overthinking it. It felt a little too good to be true, but for now, everything seemed okay, so he disregarded the coincidence. "I'm glad you guys could"-

"You two lovebirds mind finishing making kissy faces and finally joining in on the game?" Leslie called out to the pair. "It's been your turn for like five minutes, Barry."

"We'll talk more about it later." Kara winked at him as the two sat closer to the game.

"Winn, why the heck did you not pay me!" Barry realized, and the group busted into laughter.

* * *

A few hours later, Barry and Kara were standing in their apartment, putting the finishing touches on getting ready.

"You look beautiful," Barry complimented Kara, kissing her forehead softly. "I'm sort of excited for this."

"You don't look too bad yourself," Kara winked at him, picking up the bag full of presents they'd gotten for everyone. "Me too. I'm sort of glad Felicity is coming, because it means I don't have to worry about being formal."

"Yeah, Felicity isn't your, uh, most traditional person," Barry admitted, smiling at Kara's snort of laughter.

He looked in the gift bag before they left, just to make sure everything was there.

Oliver's mother and Walter were receiving an expensive bottle _of Old Rip Van Winkle 'Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve' 23-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey-_ Barry found two at the store so he picked up another one for Cat. Along with that, they also got the two of them an authentic grandfather clock from Russia, which would be arriving at their house later.

That was probably the easiest part of their present. Kara allowed Barry to run to Moscow for a moment and make the arrangements- albeit grudgingly.

Thea was receiving a small diamond bracelet and a box of chocolate- straight _from Chocolaterie Mary_ in Brussels. Kara raised an eyebrow at the box when Barry brought it back, but he just whistled innocently.

Barry smirked to himself in thought-his powers just made him a superpowered grocery boy. Well, and a cosmic protector, but that was neither here nor there.

Felicity received permission to use some of the DEO satellites to aid Team Arrow, although Barry may have conveniently mentioned that to Hank really fast before running away quickly.

Oliver got a $300 gift card to a burger joint he, Barry, and Clark loved. That and Barry snuck in a piece of paper informing him there were a few new boxes of arrows in his hideout.

All that was left was the present for his parents. Barry felt slightly guilt he hadn't gone to see them yet, so he _may_ have gone a little overboard on their present. Was it even possible to go overboard on a present for your own parents?

Nonetheless, true to his word, Barry got his parents a framed picture of his lab opening. Barry smiled softly as he looked at the picture again. He was in the middle, lab coat and all, with Max to his left and Jessie to his right. The three of them had bright smiles on their faces as the posed in front of their experimental particle decelerator. Barry wrote a little note in the corner about how he was thankful to have them as his parents.

Along with that, they got a lifetime subscription to Catco so that they could always read Barry's stories, with a box of chocolate, as well. To top it off, he promised to make time to visit, whether that be with a bus or a train or whatever.

Or a car, Barry added mentally. Oliver had been dropping way too many hints as of late for Barry to expect anything else.

"Ready?" Barry asked Kara, offering her his arm.

"I'll let this one slide in the spirit of Christmas. Well, and it would be too obvious if we dropped out of the sky, even if I could hold you like a baby." She rolled her eyes and took Barry's arm, and both of them disappeared in a flash of white.

A few moments later, they arrived in front of Queen Manor, and it looked exactly how it did on Barry's earth.

Gigantic blocks of stone rested upon each other, framing a cathedral-like entrance. The paved path Barry and Kara were standing on wrapped around a well-kept patch of petunias that were placed around a fountain of a mermaid.

It was too dark to see in the distance, but Barry was fairly confident he wouldn't be seeing anything new.

The doors opened a few minutes later, and Oliver stepped out in a suit and tie. He smiled pleasantly at the two.

"So, you do own clothes that aren't a gray shirt and pants," Barry teased as he gave Oliver a manly hug. "Just as I was starting to wonder about your wardrobe…"

"Yes, Barry, you look handsome as well," Oliver deadpanned with a small smile as he shook Kara's hand. "Oliver Queen. It's a pleasure to meet you! Barry has told me a whole lot about you."

"All good things, I hope," Kara said as the three of them laughed. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Oliver."

"Don't start the party without me!" A fourth voice entered the mix as Felicity waved over to the group. She excitedly hugged Barry. "Oh, Barry, we feared the worst when you and Reverse-Flash disappeared, but I'm so _happy_ to see that you're back, did he like wipe you out, or was it like one of the causal time paradoxes where"-

"Let's going inside," Oliver said a little forcibly, shooting Felicity a pointed look. "And enjoy our _regular_ dinner with nothing out of the ordinary being discussed. You guys remember the story?"

"Yep!" Barry and Kara chirped.

Oliver looked at Felicity expectantly, and she scoffed. "Hello! I graduated MIT with a perfect GPA, was ranked 2nd in the National Information Technology Competition, _and_ I exposed government fraud to justice under the moniker _Ghost Fox Goddess_ , eventually becoming an admired figure on the dark corners of the Internet. I think I can handle a little story."

"What's the story, then?" Oliver asked. Barry and Kara tried to hide their smiles as Felicity faltered. "Mm. Barry here was taken by a gang for ransom, met a DEO agent who was undercover, helped take the gang down, and it all went uphill from there. Don't forget this time."

"Yeah, yeah," Felicity said noncommittally. "Hey! What did you guys get us!"

They had begun to walk into the manor. Barry and Oliver walked ahead, talking about the latest basketball game, and Kara and Felicity hung back, trying to get to know each other a little better.

Kara smiled brightly at her. "We got you access to some of the DEO's satellites for, well, you know, and Barry got Oliver a few cases of arrows and a needlessly expensive gift card to some burger place."

"Some burger place?" Oliver and Barry said incredulously at the same time. Oliver put his hand on Barry's shoulder with a smile. "Kara, that is the single best burger place in this part of the country! I could eat there every day and be completely fine."

They all shared another laugh.

Barry let out a low whistle as they entered the foyer. He shook his head good-naturedly at the enormous Christmas tree that stretched towards the rather lofty ceiling. "This place still blows my mind."

Barry noted, with a little bit of trepidation, that Dig wasn't around. He hoped it was more of a "playing the part thing" where he had to seem like less of Oliver's friend and more of his bodyguard, rather than a sign that things were going south.

Not that it mattered. With him, Oliver, and Kara in the same room there wasn't much that they couldn't handle.

"My beautiful boy!" Before he could ponder about Dig's lack of absence, Barry was tackled by a sobbing head of red hair. He blinked a few times, before wrapping his arms around the woman.

He didn't have to think twice about who was hugging him. The comforting smell of vanilla, the warm embrace. No question about it. It was the scent he'd smell in his nightmares, right before the splatter of blood decorated the wall.

Barry closed his eyes and tried to stop his body from trembling. He'd thought about this moment for years, _dreamt_ of it for years. Tears started forming in his eyes.

He would never, ever let anything happen to her. Not again, he promised himself. Barry would do _anything_ to keep her safe.

"Don't hog him all to yourself, honey," Henry joked as he walked up to the duo and wrapped an arm around them both. Barry looked up to see that his dad's eyes were sparkling, too. "Welcome back, slugger."

"It's good to be back." Barry smiled, patting his mother's back comfortingly.

Nora pulled away, but still held Barry at an arm's length, looking at him appraisingly. She wiped at her eyes. "My baby boy. It's so good to see you. We missed you so much."

"I missed you guys, too," Barry said truthfully, giddy at the fact that he was actually in the arms of his mother. "I've been doing so much since I've been gone."

"Oliver told us about what happened," Henry added with a frown, which quickly turned into a smile. "Look at you now! A reporter for one of the biggest newspapers in the world _and_ opening your own lab! We couldn't be prouder, son."

"Thank you. Speaking of which," Barry said, pulling away for a moment to gently hold Kara's hand. "Mom, Dad, I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend of seven months, Kara Danvers."

Kara stepped forward, slightly nervously. She smiled and held her hand out. "Hi, I'm Kara. It's so nice to meet you! Barry's told me so much!"

"Oh, no, honey, you're family. Bring it all the way in," Nora said excitedly, hugging Kara. "Oh, my little baby boy is all grown up! It's very nice to meet you as well, Kara. I was so worried Barry would never find a girlfriend but my, you're so beautiful! You two have to swing by the house sometime so I can show you his baby pictures!"

"Mom!" Barry said in an embarrassed tone as his face got a little hot. He fought off the urge to smile. He hadn't been embarrassed by his mom in so long that it didn't even matter- he was just so happy to see her.

"Let's not embarrass him too much," Henry winked at Barry. He placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, giving Kara a reassuring smile. "Barry has told us all about you on our calls. It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Kara."

Kara and Barry smiled at each other and instantly fell into conversation with his parents as they walked into the dining room.

They all sat with each other, catching up, while also joining Oliver and his family in their conversations.

Barry wasn't surprised at the grandiose feast. The Queens were well known for going above and beyond in every aspect of social gatherings.

 _This is probably what Harry felt like when he got to Hogwarts,_ Barry thought to himself absently.

The dishes in front of him were _piled_ with food. The Queens had pulled out all the stops for this dinner. Barry was happy to see that along with the fancy stuff like steak, _Ortolan,_ and _Foie Gras_ there was also a gigantic pizza and mozzarella sticks.

"Um, before we dig in, I'd like to make an announcement," Nora said politely, standing up. She looked a bit nervous. "As you all may or may not know, I went back to school and got my doctorate. I've been interviewing with some companies, but I got an offer this morning that I'm likely going to accept!"

The table exploded in congratulatory statements, and Barry held his mom's hand and gave it a little squeeze. She smiled down at him. "It's a subdivision of the military at the moment, and they focus on manufacturing futuristic weapons."

Barry blinked to himself. His mother on Earth had never shown any interest in even going back to school, let alone working with weapons.

 _Maybe it would've happened as she got older,_ Barry reasoned. _Or maybe it's just a small change in the timeline._

"What's it called, Auntie Nora?" Thea asked curiously.

"Black Hole," Nora replied excitedly. She looked at Barry. "Do you remember Iris, from when you were a kid? I think she works there, too. As for me, I'll be starting after the holidays."

Barry narrowed his eyes for a moment. Iris…worked for a subdivision in the military that made weapons? She went to school for journalism! He knew that for a fact, as he had looked her up the moment he got here to try to gauge how different his Earth was from his own.

She sat back down a few moments later, and everyone fell into their own conversations as they began to eat.

A few minutes passed, and Barry noticed Kara biting her lip. She was pretty far from the food, and Barry could tell she'd feel awkward asking for seconds.

He didn't blame her. The Queens, unless you knew them well, could come off as a little rigid.

Barry winked at Kara as he grabbed her some mozzarella sticks, putting them on his plate so she didn't have to feel weird about it. She pecked his cheek and took one to eat.

"Barry, honey, how in the good lord's name do you eat so much and still look so great? Nora asked seriously as the whole table stopped talking to listen intently.

Barry's newfound athleticism had been a topic of conversation the whole night. Apparently, at the time of his disappearance, he'd been quite out of shape and pretty lethargic.

"I work out quite a bit. You can ask Oliver; he drives to my city to work out with my friend Clark and I," Barry chuckled. "Even if he's the slowest one there."

"Are you telling me Oliver tried to beat you in a race, again?" Moira asked, lightly dabbing at her face for nonexistent crumbs. She rolled her eyes and patted Walter's hand. "Oliver has been trying to beat Barry in a race since they were kids."

"Yes, ma'am." Barry grinned at her. "I think he forgot about the middle school mile again."

The table roared in laughter as Oliver indignantly waved his hand, even though he wasn't able to stop smiling. "Wait, wait, wait. How was I supposed to know we were running a mile! Clark just told me it was a race! And I'll have you know, that day in middle school, I _really_ had to use the bathroom!"

"You snooze, you lose, buddy!" Barry retorted, causing another round of laughter.

"Yeah, well"- Oliver was cut off as the glass windows of the dining room shattered and a few heavily armed men came tumbling through.

"Moira Queen!" One of them roared. "You're going to die here!"

Barry stood up and made eye contact with Oliver, who nodded. Barry kicked his chair up and threw it at the men while Oliver started running towards them. Barry gracefully vaulted over the table just as Oliver started fighting one of the men.

Barry made eye contact with one of the men who tauntingly beckoned him forward. He threw a punch that Barry easily dodged, before trying to ram his gun into Barry's face. Barry easily slipped around all of the hits, mentally rolling his eyes.

They were _slow,_ even for normal people.

Picking up a pepper shaker, Barry emptied it into his hand and blew it towards the man, who started waving his hands around to clear the air. While he was distracted, Barry discreetly channeled a little bit of _Speed Force_ into his punch.

 _Wham!_

He punched the men so hard that an audible _crack_ echoed through the room before he crumpled to the floor.

Oliver flipped one of the men over, snapping his arm and then knocking him out with a heel to the face.

"Barry!" Kara yelled, throwing a tong for the fireplace at him just as one of the men pulled out a knife and rushed him.

He grabbed it out of the air and used it to disarm the man, before quickly hitting him in the face left and right. Before the man could react, Barry hooked the man's vest and pulled, causing him to spin around.

Barry kicked him into one of the empty seats and hit him hard, knocking him out on the dinner table.

As he did this, Oliver held the last man up and gestured for Barry to come.

"You mind, uh, you know," Oliver asked under his breath. "Seeing what he was trying to do."

"No problem. Cover me so no one can see." Barry replied, placing his hand on the man's head. Oliver nodded and slightly blocked off any lines of view to Barry as Barry's hand glowed white. The man fell over a few moments later.

"Your mother is running for mayor, and all these men are ex-soldiers who currently live in the Glades who didn't appreciate the possible hand your mother played in almost destroying it," Barry told him quickly. "That's it. They weren't, like, working for someone."

"Thank god," Oliver said, letting out a long exhale. "You're getting better with your powers."

"Kara isn't letting me run too much, so I've been trying to discover other abilities," Barry shrugged. "Sometimes, you got to do what you got to do."

Not that he was complaining. The _Speed Force,_ as it turned out, was a lot more helpful than Barry could've ever known. With his mastery of it, he found out that he could basically do anything a Jedi could, even if lifting stuff with his mind was out of the question.

Being forced to not use it in the usual way just meant that Barry got to expand other portions of his vast power.

He'd just taken a look into the man's core and rammed his way into it. As that happened, Barry saw flashes of memories, and he just focused on what he wanted to see. That was his first time doing it practically, but he'd figured out how to do it in theory.

"I am _so_ sorry," Moira apologized sincerely, standing up. "I-I had no idea that there were those who felt so strongly about my campaign."

"It's quite alright," Henry assured her. He looked at Barry and Oliver with a confused expression. "How did you two do that?"

"Lessons."

"YouTube."

Barry looked around the room silently. Kara was biting back a smile at both of their lame excuses, and Felicity was doing her best not to laugh. It was _abundantly_ clear that everyone else in the room didn't believe them, but they dropped it for now.

"Present time!" Thea said, breaking the awkward tension as she pulled out her presents. She smiled and handed Barry one. "Let's go to the tree!"

No one argued, their appetites were gone at the moment. The group made their way to the tree, where Thea plopped her presents down.

Barry couldn't help but smile again. Kara was holding his arm and leaning into him as they sat side by side with his parents, who were in a similar position.

Moira hit a button next to the tree, and all twenty or so feet of it lit up. Barry shared a laugh with Kara and Felicity at Oliver's baby ornament, to which he attempted to pay no attention.

"To my other big brother!" Thea started the gift-giving by holding up a small rectangular present. She tossed it to Barry, who grinned as he opened it. It was a sleek black card with the _Bercellis_ logo on it. "Oliver's been yapping about _Bercellis_ since you took him there that one time, so I made a not-so-anonymous donation. Barry Allen and Oliver Queen have their own reserved table whenever they want it."

She lightly gave Kara a bag. "And uh, I'm sorry, Kara, I don't know you that well, so I just got you this jacket…"

"This jacket? Thea…" Kara said as she held up the quilted jacket in awe. "This is _Burberry_! Thank you so much, Thea!"

"Aw, Speedy, you shouldn't have," Barry said, incredibly excited at the plastic card in his hand. _Bercellis_ was like God's gift to Earth! He and Kara gave Thea her present. "From us! We got you some premium chocolate from Belgium and this diamond bracelet!"

"I love it!" Thea squealed, putting on the bracelet instantly. She looked at the box of chocolates intently. "Wait…how did you get it from Belgium?"

"I know a guy," Barry winked at her. "He's pretty fast when it comes to that stuff."

"No way!" Thea screeched loudly. "You know the Flash? The Flash got me this?"

"Well, he owed me a favor, and I called it in," Barry said, and Thea suddenly clutched the box as if it was made of gold.

"The Flash is her favorite superhero," Oliver explained, smiling slightly at Barry. "She talks about him incessantly."

The next few rounds of gift-giving progressed fairly uneventfully. Felicity received a new laptop from Moira and a scarf from Thea, and Barry's parents gave her a book on coding.

Moira and Walter loved Barry and Kara's present and even showed them where they'd put the clock after it would arrive. They, in turn, gave Barry and Kara a box with a few holes on top.

"No way!" Kara said as she opened the box and a little golden retriever puppy hopped out into her lap.

"Oh my goodness," Nora said as she got closer to him and started petting the puppy with Kara. "He's just adorable!"

"Oliver told us Barry loved puppies, so we decided to get him his own," Moira said, nodding at Barry with a warm smile. "I'm glad both of our boys seem to have a knack from rising from the dead."

"Believe me, Moira, we're very glad, too," Henry said with a grin, slapping his hand on Barry's shoulder. "What'd you get your old man, Barry?"

Barry gave his parents the picture frame and box of chocolates. "Along with that, I got you guys a lifetime subscription to Catco, so every time I write anything, you'll be the first to get it."

Nora and Henry beamed at the picture frame and pulled Barry in for a hug. Nora gave Barry a watery smile, "My baby…I'm so proud of the man you've become!"

Henry gestured for Kara to join the hug. "You too, Kara. You're a part of the family now, too."

"We both promise to visit at least once a week, too," Kara added as she joined the hug. Jokingly, she said, "Maybe we can get the Flash to give us a lift."

Oliver cleared his throat. "Well, this seems like a better time than any to give Barry my present. I know you've been wanting to visit us all more, and it's a little tough with the busses, so…"

He tossed Barry a pair of keys. "Don't worry, I didn't go _too_ overboard. I just used your salary from _Verdant_ and chipped in a bit of my own. Coming back from the 'dead' requires a little celebration."

Barry looked at the car keys with a wide grin cracking his face. "Oh, no. Don't tell me…M5?"

"M5," Oliver confirmed with a similar look on his face. He gestured for Barry to follow him. "We'll be right back."

Barry grinned to himself.

Best. Christmas. _Ever._

* * *

"This is probably going to hurt," Barry warned Jessie. He secured the clamps around her arms, ignoring her sharp intake of breath. "Ready?"

A few rays of sunlight filtered through the windows of S.T.A.R Labs- Barry decided to pay homage to his own Earth, as none of this could've ever been possible without it.

He was still feeling giddy from last night. After Oliver showed him his new car- a sleek, black 2020 BMW M5- the duo walked back inside and concluded the present exchange. A few minutes after that, everyone decided to go back to their own homes.

Kara and the new member of their family, Winston the puppy, were currently at home, asleep. They were knackered after last night,

Not Barry, though. He had a lot to do. He got his car registered with the DMV, picked up some groceries, _and_ got into Catco for a quick meeting. It had been his mid-year evaluation with Cat, which took only an hour.

He gave her the bottle of alcohol and a book on thermonuclear physics for Carter. She hugged him tightly and gave him a picture of himself and Kara joking around at her desk. Winn had taken it when they weren't paying attention, apparently, and Cat had liked it so much that she printed it out for them.

A few hours after he got off work, Barry called Jessie and the two of them were back at the lab. For her Christmas presents, Barry was going to reignite the _Speed Force_ in Jessie's system and teach her how to become a speedster.

The problem? Well, as far as Barry could tell, there was no previously recorded natural growth of a non-speedster's connection to the _Speed Force._ Cores grew sometimes, yeah, but without some sort of cosmic event or lab experiment, no one just up and acquired the power to zoom around.

He was going to have to do it himself.

No one even knew what happened to your body once the _Speed Force_ left it. Barry was hesitant to try- there was so much that could go wrong.

"I'm ready," Jessie said, taking a deep breath. Her bright green eyes shone with hope. "The theory is sound."

"A lot of things work _in theory,_ " Barry muttered to himself. He placed his hand on Jessie's chest, causing both of their faces to turn slightly red.

Barry closed his eyes.

Total darkness. He inhaled slowly, letting his body relax. The pathways that the _Speed Force_ usually flowed through began to open slightly.

There! Towards the bottom of his vision, he began to see it. The gigantic, white ball of pure energy. He began to draw more of it towards his hand.

Barry's eyebrows scrunched together, and his teeth clenched harder. White energy became visible around his fingertips. "Here we go."

A scream tore out of Jessies' throat. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she thrashed relentlessly against the bindings as Barry's hand glowed brilliantly against her chest.

After what felt like an eternity, Barry opened his eyes and pulled his hand away. Peering at her core, Barry had to do a double-take.

Rather than a light blue color, Jessie's core was _multicolored._ There was a fourth of it that was a light pink, a fourth that was pale blue, and the rest was white, like Barry's. Not only that, but her core was _huge._

Even as a beginner, her core was already bigger than Leslie's!

Barry's eyes narrowed. Whether Jessie knew it or not, her parents had done a lot more to her than just take her speed. Just who _were_ her parents?

The darker realization was that whoever they were…did they experiment on their own _child?_ Barry knew for a fact that naturally, it was only possible to tap into one force. He'd heard that from the _Speed Force_ itself.

Pushing his macabre thoughts out of his head, Barry released the binds, and Jessie fell against him.

"D-did it work?" She gasped out, still breathing heavily against him. Her eyes were screwed shut.

"It did. Your _Speed Force_ is back." Barry said, biting his lip. He _wanted_ to tell her about the colors, but he didn't want to overwhelm her. But it _was_ something she deserved to know. "There's something else."

"Something else?" Jessie intoned softly, struggling to stand and look Barry in the eyes.

"Your core…it doesn't just have the _Speed Force,_ " Barry said. He paused, trying to find the right words. "I don't know how, but there are two unknown forces in there."

Jessie looked at him, her eyes full of bewilderment. "I-I don't get it. How is that possible?"

"I don't know," Barry admitted. "When it comes to the _Speed Force,_ I'm an expert, but forces in general? I'm out of my league."

The two looked at each other for a moment. Jessie carefully gauged Barry's expression. "You have to have a theory."

"Well, it isn't pretty. First, we need to talk about cores." Barry informed her, sighing as he walked over to the whiteboard. He drew the outline of a human, and a small ball in the middle. "This is what the standard human core looks like. Everyone has one- some have smaller ones, and some have larger ones. Nature's draw."

Another human was drawn, but this time, with a bigger ball. "This is your average speedster. Their cores are usually orange, maybe blue. You usually find blue cores in highly powerful speedsters. _Spitfire,_ for example, had an orange core when she first became a speedster. It changed to blue, even though her lightning stayed the same. Now, it's a paler blue."

Barry cleared his throat, and a pure white aura roared to life around him. Papers and random office supplies went flying around the office as if a cyclone had entered. A crushing weight began to bear down on Jessie, as if the air itself was trying to force her to kneel. It was suffocating. It was terrifying. Jessie's breath started to come out short and raspier. Her eyes began to roll back into her head.

The aura died down around him as quickly as it had come. Jessie forced herself to take long, deep breaths. Barry continued his speech, "White cores indicate pure _Speed Force_ energy. I'm the only speedster I've ever encountered to naturally have this color. White lightning is the indication of a paragon. The _Speed Force_ has only one- yours truly. If you ever see one that isn't me, well, they're artificially boosting their speed in some way, shape, or form. Bad news."

Jessie opened her mouth to speak, but Barry raised his finger. He drew a third human, with a core resembling Jessie's. "This, Jessie, is your core. Unlike anyone I've ever seen, yours is multicolored. You have pink, pale blue, and white. It doesn't just end there though- not only is your core split into two fourths and a half, but it's split _exactly_ into those dimensions."

"And that doesn't happen in nature." Jessie breathed the unspoken words into existence. Barry nodded grimly. "You think someone did this to me."

"That's one theory," Barry confirmed. "I think, at some point, your parents experimented on you. Even if this was a result of that evil being in your house, there's no way it could have been done so precisely in the heat of the moment. The only other theory I can think of right now is that you're some sort of legacy and that at some point, members of your family were attuned to other forces. This is new territory, though, so all we can do is guess."

Jessie swallowed and then nodded determinedly. "But I do have the _Speed Force_ in my system, right?"

"You do," Barry nodded. He smiled reassuringly at her. "Your core is huge. Even though it isn't all pure _Speed Force_ energy, you have enough to be a formidable speedster in no time."

"And then we'll find my parents," Jessie finished, smiling softly. Her mouth set into a thin line. "We'll also figure out what these forces are in my body."

 _And we'll find out what they did to you…_ Barry said mentally. Changing gears, Barry walked behind her. "Well then. Are you up for an experiment?"

"Of course," She replied instantly. After all, she was a scientist. "What is it?"

Barry help up a small clamp. "Mental negative tachyon enhancement. Let's say I want to talk to the _Speed Force_ face to face. In theory, if I siphon _Speed Force_ with my brain, I should be able to accelerate my brain past the space-time barrier. The negative tachyons will make sure I don't waste any."

"I'm guessing you want me to keep the tachyons coming." Jessie guessed, to which Barry nodded. He clamped the device onto himself.

"Flip that switch, please," Barry instructed. Jessie nodded, and Barry felt the rush of negative tachyons around his core, blocking any extra energy from seeping out.

Barry closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was sitting face to face from his mother again.

"My beautiful boy," She said happily, holding Barry's larger hand in her own. "I'm glad to see that you're well after your battle."

"Just a little sore," Barry said truthfully, a smile covering his face. "Also, I don't know if this matters to you, but, Merry Christmas. Well, it's tomorrow, but I don't think I'll be entering the _Speed Force_ any time before that."

"It doesn't, but I appreciate the thought," Nora smiled calmly at him. She leaned back into her seat. "You have questions."

Barry mirrored her actions. "Are there other forces?"

Nora's eyebrows rose a little. "Why, yes, but why do you ask?"

"My newest apprentice, her core is split into multiple parts. Half of it is _Speed Force,_ but there are fourths of it that are pale blue and pink."

For the first time, Nora looked gobsmacked. After taking a moment to compose herself, she waved her hand. The house around them faded, and both of them were suspended above a random point in space. Colors started appearing and flying by the both of them.

"The universe is split into more than just the _Speed Force._ There are other forces, but in general, no speedster has ever come into contact with them." Nora explained. The colors stopped for a moment and faded to the pale blue color that was in Leslie's core. "This force is known as the _Life Force._ "

"There has only ever been one instance of this on an Earth. Long ago, Lord Poseidon was entrusted with this font of energy that would come to reside within his trident, the Trident of Poseidon." Nora explained. She laughed softly at Barry's dubious look. "Yes, the gods of old existed."

"Later in his long life, he met the Atlantean king, Arion, and admired the king and his city. Telling him of this force, Arion sought to share it with the universe to bind them into a great union by creating the Clarion, an object imbued with a portion of the energy. When Arion contacted the Triumvirate of Sea Gods, a sect of gods who desired this power to help their struggling worlds, Poseidon grew jealous and feared they would take the power for themselves and convinced Arion that they were invaders. Poisoning his mind with lies, Arion sought to right his wrong by creating the Tear of Extinction by using his magic and technology to invert the life energy. He used that inversion to cast away the sea gods to the Graveyard of Gods."

Barry's mind was spinning. "How could a mortal have enough power to cast away a god?"

"Look at yourself." Nora countered. She looked at him with a proud gaze. "Whether you recognize it or not, if you had to, you have enough power to cast a god away."

"So, what does the _Life Force_ do? How can I teach her to harness it?" Barry said, willfully ignoring the comment regarding his power. This was all becoming a little too much to handle. A year and a half ago, he didn't even have _powers_ and now he was allegedly powerful enough to fight a god and come out on top?

There was a knock at the door, and both Barry and Nora looked at each other suspiciously.

"I got this," Barry said, holding a hand of caution out to his mother. If something was invading the _Speed Force,_ it was bad news.

Hand vibrating, Barry flung the door open, ready to tear into and demolish whatever dared-

"Dad? Joe?" Barry's hand fell limply to his side as Nora peered over his shoulder.

She stammered for a few moments. "W-what? How are you… _why_ are you…?"

"Nora," Joe said, smiling pleasantly. He was holding his traditional bowler hat to his chest. "May we come in?"

"Um, _Speed Force,_ what's going on?" Barry asked bewilderedly. Every parental figure he'd ever had was on the doorstep. All that was missing now was a teacher, and it would have been Barry's parent-teacher conference from hell.

Nora pursed her lips. "Barry, these are the _Life Force_ and the _Forever Force_. The forces inhabiting your apprentice's body."

"Well," Henry chuckled at that statement. The laugh lines crinkled around his eyes, just like Barry's actual father. "We're going to have to have a conversation about that."

Nora waved her hand and all of them were back in the living room. Barry was sitting alone in a loveseat, and the trio of forces all sat in their own chair, facing him as if he was a contestant on _Shark Tank._

"Your coffee is lovely," Henry complimented, and Nora smiled back, although she still seemed a little uneasy. Wait, when did he get coffee?

"Bar, you've got no idea what your body is capable of, eh?" Joe laughed, drawing Barry's attention to him. He clasped his hands together. "Well, we've got little time, as I can sense your machine is going to run out in thirty minutes, which means real-time here, we've got maybe fifteen. Let's start. I'm the _Life Force,_ pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I'm the _Forever Force,"_ Henry nodded, a friendly smile gracing his features. He looked at Joe expectantly. "Joe, if you will…"

Joe clapped his hands. He pointed at Barry and leaned forward. "Ah, right. So, as you may recall, you underwent an experiment a few months back that transported you to the Earth you're on now, correct?"

"Yes," Barry replied plainly, trying not to let his brain explode. There were so many thoughts racing through his head it was impossible to keep track of what was happening.

"Right. So, in doing that, whether you knew this or not, you were floating through space, and before your body could even register it, you'd been blasted across the multiverse at a speed that even you would have difficulty understanding." Joe continued. He made a _whoosh_ gesture with his hands. "Zoom. Flying across space and time like a rock across a pond, if the rock had been shot out of a bazooka, that is."

Barry nodded his head. "I can't remember what happened clearly, but I do remember being torn out of the binds."

Joe nodded to Barry. "You were. Your own body was skewered by Harrison's device. Unbeknownst to him, that blend of chemicals was mixed in with something else. Mixed in with the remnants of your core, the reaction was too much for you to handle and your body was sent hurtling into space at about a thousand times the speed of light."

"That's when the _Speed Force_ took you in, nurtured you, healed you, and pooped you out on the pavement of Earth-38." Henry took over the story. He shook his head with a smile. "Or so you thought. You see Barry, you don't go hurtling through space with an empty core and come out unscathed. The _Speed Force_ took over your core, that's true. She got you on your feet, got you up and running. But, in space, you were exposed to a lot more than just the _Speed Force._ You would have never made it to her alone."

"I don't get this," Barry said, almost frantically. "What's going on?"

"You should've died the moment your body was exposed to such a speed, as your body didn't contain enough power for your _Speed Force_ aura," Joe said plainly. He gestured between himself and Henry. "That's where we come in. You see, Barry, the _Speed Force_ didn't get to you first. _We_ did."

 **AN: And there we have it!**

 **That was one of the twists I'd been planning since I came up with the idea of this story all that time ago.**

 **It's far from over, though. I said a while back that my Barry would be godlike, and believe me, he will be.**

 **Also, I've been categorizing my chapters into arcs for myself, so to speak, and I'll show that below. This is what I've done so far and what I plan to do next.**

 **Chapters 1-4: The Introduction Arc**

 **Chapters 5-9: The Forces Arc (and I guess the first part of 10 will also fit in)**

 **Chapters 10-? : The Espionage/Power Arc**

 **Heh, I think you guys will like what I've got coming next. A little hint, Kara and Barry will both be doing _very_ different things soon.**

 **Anywho! As always, let me know what you thought, and I'll see you guys with the next chapter!**

 **-Maroon**

 **PS: Stay safe.**


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